Clone Wars debuts high, other shows down

Apparently people did want to see more of “a galaxy far, far away,” but they just didn’t want to see it at a theater near you.  The debut episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” set a Cartoon Network record for viewers Friday evening with 4 million. 

And it appears that those not tuning in for “Clone Wars” were glued to SciFi, where the debut of Amanda Tapping’s new series “Sancturary” had 2.7 million viewers.

While it’s good news for cable debuts, the return of several genre shows have been lackluster this season.  Several shows that had strike-shortened first seasons came back to lower than expected numbers, including NBC’s “Chuck.”  While the ratings for the season premiere of “Chuck” were up from last season’s finale, the numbers were significantally down from last year’s debut.  Last year, “Chuck” debuted to 9.2 million viewers and was down this year to 6.8 million.

Also down was the return of “Pushing Daisies.”  Last year’s debut pulled in 13 million viewers while this year’s was down to 6.3.  

In related news, NBC’s “Heroes” continues to plummet in the ratings.   It began its third season with 11.1 million viewers, down 21%. It has seen ratings slide further, to a series-low 8.2 million, in the two weeks since.

“The strike has had an impact on shows that rely on continuing story lines,” which are also most affected by delayed DVR viewing,  NBC program planner Mitch Metcalf told USA Today. Rebuilding “can be a slow process. In this environment, it’s asking a lot to see a jump in viewership.”

And it’s not just NBC having problems.  Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” has seen declining viewership in the past couple of weeks, leading to speculation that it could be pulled.