Last night, The Vampire Diaries managed to do what Melrose Place didn’t: make waves for CW. Approximately 4.8 million tuned in making it the most-watched series debut in the network’s history. (90210 was the previous record-holder.) Of course, the celebration probably won’t last long. The competition in the 8:00 hour will start heating up next week.

8pm

• NBC’s football coverage averaged 17.8 million (7.0/20 in 18-49) over the evening.
• Big Brother (2.6/8) racked up 7.6 million.
• The Vampire Diaries (2.1/6) had 4.8 million sucked in.
• Bones* (1.2/4) dug up 4.3 million.
• Grey’s Anatomy* (1.1/3) gathered 4 million.

9pm

• CSI* (1.4/4 in 18-49) nailed down 7.4 million.
• Grey’s Anatomy* (1.4/4) registered 4.5 million.
• Fringe* (1.1/3) took in 3.5 million.
• Supernatural (3.4 million. 1.4/4) was down 500,000 from last fall.

10pm

• The Mentalist* (1.7/5 in 18-49) scored 8.1 million.
• Private Practice* (1.0/3) pitched in 3.5 million.

*denotes repeat