Winners and losers of the new season

The first week of the fall season is over, and viewers -- as viewers tend to do -- have rendered their judgments:

THE BIG WINNER By an almost ridiculous margin, "Two and a Half Men," which brought in a new star in place of a harrowingly unhinged former one, and for its trouble added nearly 15 million viewers, for a total of 28 million. A lot of this was rubbernecking, but even if half of these viewers disappeared last night, CBS could still judge this a successful reboot. That huge first-night turnout should guarantee a full season pickup any minute now.

HONORABLE MENTION TO In order, CBS' "2 Broke Girls" (18 million), though with an asterisk -- that lead-in (see above); "Unforgettable" (14 million), which everyone -- save Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh fans -- had seemed to forget about before its launch; ABC's "Pan Am" (11 million), which built on the lead of flagging "Desperate Housewives"; "The X Factor," which settled to around 12.5 million opening night, even if expectations had been far greater; and -- ready for this? -- bodaciously bad "Charlie's Angels" (less than 9 million), which got a solid sampling among adults 18 to 49.

COMEDY KINGS GET BIGGER "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory" (both north of 14 million) easily secured wins, and bragging rights, as TV's most popular sitcoms. When DVR playback ratings were factored in, they edged a bit further north.

'GLEE'S' SOUR NOTE Last season, "Glee" launched with 12.5 million viewers, and last week could muster no better than 8.9 million. A 35 percent decline is massive, and a reflection of dissatisfaction in Gleekdom.

THE BIGGEST LOSER The hard, unforgiving fact is that most of 'em are on NBC -- and I'm not talking about that show of the same name. "Free Agents" (4 million viewers, and a sub-2 rating among young adults) is on track to become the first cancellation of the season. Of greater concern, however, is "Prime Suspect" (6 million), squashed in its Thursday open by CBS' "The Mentalist" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." The good news for NBC is that a handful of shows -- like newbies "Up All Night" and even "The Playboy Club" -- got a solid boost in DVR playback.