Fox Tuesday: Good ‘Bones’ structure

Fox’s forensics drama “Bones” showed signs of life in its Tuesday premiere, while the prognosis for “House,” last season’s sleeper hit, remained upbeat.

“Bones” connected with 10.8 million total viewers, according to figures released Wednesday from Nielsen Media Research. That’s a huge improvement in the time slot over last year’s reality bomb “The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best” (4.9 million).

At 9 p.m., “House,” with Hugh Laurie as an ornery doctor, was the night’s most-watched program (15.9 million). Fox won the night both in total viewers and in young adults.

The WB Network -- which struggled with low ratings last season -- breathed a sigh of relief after its new drama “Supernatural” opened with a respectable 5.7 million viewers. A strong lead-in from the sixth-season premiere of “Gilmore Girls” (6.2 million) helped.

NBC, meanwhile, had a tough night with the second-season debut of “The Biggest Loser,” which averaged a relatively slender 7.8 million viewers.

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Scott Collins