Every other science fiction, fantasy or horror show on broadcast TV last week was still in reruns.

In the battle for viewers, Fringe attracted 9 million viewers last Tuesday – topping the list of genre programs. The show’s debut brought in close to 10% of the viewing public, which is FOX’s highest debut for a drama series in two years.

The network ran a repeat episode of Fringe on Sunday, Sept. 14, where it attracted an additional 5.7 million viewers for about 6 percent of the TVs being used that night.

It’s a good start, but may not be an indication of how well the show will perform once ABC, CBS and NBC stop showing repeats and start airing new episodes on Tuesdays. Luckily, Fringe has a great lead-in following House starting on the 16th.

FOX’s other debut this past week, the sophomore season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles didn’t fare as well against NBC’s Deal or No Deal and CBS’s repeat of The Big Bang Theory. Sarah Connor attracted a mere 6.3 million viewers, barely beating out a repeat of Ghost Whisperer for the No. 2 Genre TV spot.

Following are the ratings for speculative fiction shows that aired on the broadcast networks last week:

SHOW [NET] # Viewers – 18-49/% watching (18-34/%) | Date

• 1. Fringe [FOX] 9 million – 3.2/9 (2.5/8) | Sept. 9
• 2. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 6.3 million – 2.4/7 (2.1/6) | Sept. 8
• 3. Ghost Whisperer (repeat) [CBS] 6.2 million — (1.6/5) | Sept. 12 (9 p.m.)
• 4. Fringe (repeat) [FOX] 5.7 2.3/6 (19./6) | Sept. 14
• 5. Ghost Whisperer (repeat) [CBS] 5.7 million — (1.5/5) | Sept. 12 (8 p.m.)
• 6. Chuck (repeat) [NBC] 2.5 million — (0.8/3) | Sept. 13
• 7. Smallville (repeat) [CW] 2 million – 0.8/2 (0.7/2) | Sept. 11
• 8. Supernatural (repeat) [CW] 1.7 million – 0.6/2 (0.5/2) | Sept. 11

Source: Nielsen Media Research

The CW pre-empted showings of Reaper, Supernatural and Smallville for the debut and repeat airings of re-tread teen soap opera 90210 - a re-make of the 1980s FOX hit series.

Following are the ratings for speculative fiction shows that aired on the broadcast networks last week (August 29-September 4, 2008):

SHOW | [NETWORK] | Rating (Air Date)

• National Treasure [NBC] 1.8 [August 31]
• Ghost Whisperer [CBS] 1.4 (August 29)
• Chuck [CBS] 0.7 (August 30)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

SHOW | [NETWORK] | Rating (Air Date)

• 1. (tie) Madagascar [ABC] 1.1 (August 23)
• 1. (tie) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 1.1 (August 20)
• 3. (tie) Smallville [CW] 0.9 (August 24)
• 3. (tie) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 0.9 (August 19)
• 5. (tie) Eli Stone [ABC] 0.6 (August 22)
• 5. (tie) Smallville [CW] 0.6 (August 21)
• 5. (tie) Supernatural [CW] 0.6 (August 21)
• 8.  Reaper [CW] 0.4 (August 19)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Following are the ratings for all speculative fiction shows that aired on the broadcast networks between August 8 and 14, 2008 (all shows were in repeat):

SHOW | [NETWORK] | Rating (Air Date)

• 1. War of the Worlds [ABC] 1.2 (August 8 )
• 2. Ghost Whisperer [CBS] 1.1 (August 8 )
• 3. (tie) Hellboy [FOX] 1.0 (August 8 )
• 3. (tie) Shark Tale [ABC] 1.0 (August 9)
• 3. (tie) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 1.0 (August 11)
• 3. (tie) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 1.0 (August 12)
• 7. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 0.9 (August 10)
• 8. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [FOX] 0.8 (August 13)
• 9. Eli Stone [ABC] 0.7 (August 9)
• 10. (tie) Smallville [CW] 0.6 (August 14)
• 10. (tie) Supernatural [CW] 0.6 (August 14)
• 12. Reaper [CW] 0.5 (August 12)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

SHOW | [NETWORK] | Rating (Air Date)

• 1. Fear Itself [NBC] 1.4 (July 31)
• 2. Ghost Whisperer [CBS] 1.3 (July 25)
• 3. Reaper [CW] 0.9 (July 29)
• 4. Peter Pan [ABC] 0.8 (July 26)
• 5. Smallville [CW] 0.7 (July 31)
• 6. (tie) Eli Stone [ABC] 0.6 (July 26)
• 6. (tie) Supernatural [CW] 0.6 (July 31)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

SHOW | [NETWORK] | Rating (Air Date)

• 1. Ghost Whisperer [CBS] 1.3 (July 18)
• 2. Freaky Friday [ABC] 0.9 (July 19)
• 3. Fear Itself [NBC] 1.0 (July 17) [NEW EPISODE]
• 4. Smallville [CW] 0.6 (July 17)
• 4. Eli Stone [ABC] 0.6 (July 19)
• 6. Supernatural [CW] 0.5 (July 17)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Ghost Whisperer (CBS, Fridays 8/7c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: Young married woman sees dead people and helps them cross over to the other side.

OK, before I start this review, I have a few things I must come clean with: I am not a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan, I think the title of this show is stupid and I think the premise is tired and subject to devolving into smarmy cliche after a few episodes. Also, I have been known to make snide comments about this show before it began, calling it “Touched by a Medium” and such.

But despite all of that, I actually liked the new CBS series Ghost Whisperer enough to recommend it (and added it to my TiVo season pass at least until Stargate:SG1 comes back with original episodes in January). Because as a light fantasy show, it works.

The premise is a little too familiar as psychic woman sees dead people while her family and friends cope with the consequences. Sounds an awful lot like Medium, right? Yep. It does.

The show then throws in big heaping helping of Touched by an Angel and a smattering of Dead Like Me all in a guest-star-of-the-week format.

That format is fairly predictable. Each episode starts with some sort of crisis where Hewitt’s character meets a ghost. Hijinks ensue before an inevitable conflict. Then it all ends with a “touching” Hallmark moment. Ugh.

It is suprising when you consider how much I was ready to hate this series that upon watching Ghost Whisperer, I was pleasantly surprised. The show is good despite itself. I blame the writers and directors for this.

The cast

Jennifer Love Hewitt plays psychic “Melinda Gordon.” She pulls off the role well enough. She is s competent actress – although kinda goofy looking in a prematurely aging, but endearing way.

(It’s been a decade since she became the resident pin-up girl from the FOX teen soap opera Party of Five. I have to tell you, that I never understood why she was considered a great beauty of the mid-1990s. Sure at the time, she fulfilled any girl-chasing teenage boy’s requirements: clear skin, thin waist and huge breasts. But now, at age 26, as Hewitt’s two biggest assets are starting to sag, her other physical flaws are intensified. She has a pinched nose, gigantic ears and the beginnings of major sun damage to her once flawless skin.)

Melinda’s husband, “Jim Clancy,” a paramedic, is played by a young-looking 38-year-old David Conrad (Wedding Crashers, Boston Public, Roswell). It’s always nice to have a paramedic husband around to help a ghost-whispering psychic deal with those near-death revival experiences, right? Conrad plays his role as the understanding hubby well.

The stand-out performance is by actress Aisha Tyler (CSI, Friends, Talk Soup) as “Andrea Moreno.” In what could have been a throw-away smart-mouthed minority sidekick part, Tyler fully inhabits her role; easily moving from drama to comedy within the same scene. Her one-liners are inspired. She should be the star of this show.

Resembling a younger Vanessa L. Williams (former Miss America), when it comes to the eye candy factor. Hewitt pales in comparison to Tyler. Add in her acting talents (which are many), if there is any justice in the universe, Aisha Tyler will be a household name in a few years.