Fox continues to be the network to beat early in the summer. Last night’s third-season premiere of “Hell’s Kitchen” helped the network to another nightly victory, bettering last year’s debut as well.

“Kitchen” averaged a 3.6 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, up 13 percent over last year’s two-hour bow, which averaged a 3.2. This year’s debut was just 60 minutes, and it did match the final hour of last year’s debut.

That was the highest-rated show of the night, just ahead of a 3.3 for a rerun of “Two and a Half Men” on CBS.

Fox has won outright or tied for first on seven straight nights now, dating back to last Tuesday, thanks to the finale of “House” and two nights of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

On a night dominated by repeats, the only other original fare was unimpressive. The second episode of ABC’s “Ex Wives Club” averaged a 2.2 rating, placing third in its 9 p.m. timeslot. That was up 10 percent from the previous week’s 2.0 but still relatively modest.

The debut of CBS’s “Creature Comforts” at 8 p.m. averaged just a 1.8.

Meanwhile, NBC’s Stanley Cup finals Game 4, which started at 8 p.m., averaged a 1.2 through 11 p.m. Ratings for live events are approximate, as overnights measure timeslot data and not actual program data, and the game ran past 11.

While 1.2 is hardly a big number, it was double the rating for Saturday’s Game 3 and about even to last year’s Game 4 coverage on the network.

Fox finished first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 3.0 average rating and a 9 share. CBS was second at 2.6/8, ABC third at 2.4/7, Univision fourth at 2.0/6, NBC fifth at 1.2/3 and CW sixth at 0.8/2.
 
ABC began the night in first place with a 2.6 rating at 8 p.m. for a repeat of “Wife Swap,” with Fox second with a 2.3 for a repeat of “House.” Univision was third with a 2.0 for “La Fea Mas Bella,” CBS fourth with a 1.8 average for “Creature Comforts” (1.8) and a repeat of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (1.8), NBC fifth with a 1.1 for its first hour of coverage of the Stanley Cup, and CW sixth with a 0.8 for repeats of “Everybody Hates Chris” and “All of Us.”
 
At 9 p.m., Fox took the lead with a 3.6 for “Hell’s Kitchen,” followed by CBS with a 3.2 for repeats of “Two and a Half Men” and “How I Met Your Mother.” Univision remained third that hour with a 2.3 for “Destilando Amor,” with ABC fourth with a 2.2 for “Ex Wives Club,” NBC fifth with a 1.2 for another hour of hockey and CW sixth with a 0.9 for repeats of “Girlfriends” and “The Game.”
 
It was CBS’s turn on top during the 10 p.m. hour, as the network led with a 2.8 rating for a repeat of “CSI: Miami.” ABC was second with a 2.5 for “Supernanny,” Univision third with a 1.7 for “Cristina,” and NBC fourth with a 1.2 for more hockey.
 
CBS was first for the night among households with a 5.8 average rating and a 10 share. Fox was second at 4.6/8, ABC third at 4.3/7, Univision fourth at 2.4/4, NBC fifth at 2.1/4 and CW sixth at 1.5/3.