Although several notables connected with The West Wing have expressed embarrassment over the violent cliffhanger that closed last season, it nevertheless set the stage for an impressive season debut Wednesday night.

The two-hour premiere averaged an 18.7 rating and a 27 share, well above NBC's ratings last week for the Olympic Games. The network also scored strongly with the debut of Aaron Spelling's new Titans at 8:00, which drew a 9.3/14, beating Fox's coverage of the American League baseball playoffs, but falling behind CBS's telecast of the Country Music Awards and ABC's invincible quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Source: Studio Briefing