The 8 p.m. Wednesday timeslot may finally have its dominant show. Last night’s highly anticipated debut of the quirky new ABC drama “Pushing Daisies” pulled strong numbers, far outdistancing the competition among adults 18-49 in a timeslot with two other new programs.

“Daisies” averaged a 4.2 in adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, easily winning its 8 p.m. slot. NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” was second at a 2.8.

The show grew slightly from its first to its second half hour, from a 4.2 to a 4.3, and was the night’s No. 2 show among total viewers behind CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” drawing 12.8 million.

Several other new shows saw declines from the previous week last night, with the notable exception of the CW’s “Gossip Girl” and Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares.” In the tough 9 p.m. timeslot last week, both shows took a hit, but they rebounded this week, as the slot’s new heavyweights on NBC and ABC saw their ratings decline from the previous week.

“Gossip” built 6 percent week to week in the CW’s target 18-34s, to a 1.7, while “Kitchen” climbed 21 percent in 18-49s, to a 2.9.

NBC’s “Bionic Woman” took the biggest hit at 9, falling 27 percent in 18-49s from a 5.5 to a 4.0 in its second outing, though it did once again build in its second half hour.

ABC’s “Private Practice,” the much-hyped “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff, also slipped in week two, but its decline was a less-worrisome 12 percent, from a 5.1 to a 4.5. “Practice” won the timeslot in the demo, though it trailed “Minds” among total viewers, with 12.3 million to the latter’s 14.4 million.

As a reminder, the increase in digital video recorders this year in Nielsen’s sample could have a big impact on ratings. Some shows may see their declines lessen when those results are out, which will be several weeks.

Earlier in the night, Fox’s “Back to You” slid another 14 percent in its third outing, to a 2.4, and lead-out “’Til Death” built on “You” for the first time, averaging a 2.5.

At 10 p.m., with “Bionic” providing a smaller lead-in, NBC’s “Life” also dropped 27 percent week to week, from a 4.1 to a 3.0. Despite the declines for both new shows, NBC notes that its nightly average was up 22 percent over the same night last year.

ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money” was even to the previous week, a positive sign for the network since it had a small lead-in. “Money” placed second in the slot with a 3.6, though it continued to see big declines in its second half hour.

ABC finished first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 4.1 average overnight rating and an 11 share. CBS was second at 3.4/9, NBC third at 3.3/9, Fox fourth at 2.7/7, and Univision and CW tied for fifth at 1.7/5.
 
At 8 p.m. ABC led with a 4.2 for “Daisies,” followed by NBC with a 2.8 for “Deal or No Deal.” CBS and Fox tied for third at 2.4, CBS for “Kid Nation” and Fox for “Back” (2.4) and “Death” (2.5), with CW fifth with a 2.2 for “America’s Next Top Model” and Univision sixth with a 1.1 for “Amar sin Limites.”
 
ABC led again at 9 p.m., this time with a 4.5 for “Practice,” with NBC moving to second with a 4.0 for “Bionic.” CBS was third with a 3.7 for “Minds,” Fox fourth with a 2.9 for “Kitchen,” Univision fifth with a 2.2 for “Destilando Amor” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for “Gossip.”
 
At 10 p.m. CBS led with a 3.9 for “CSI: NY,” while ABC dropped to second with a 3.6 for “Money.” NBC was third with a 3.0 for “Life” and Univision fourth with a 1.8 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
 
ABC also finished first for the night among households, pulling a 7.7 average overnight rating and a 13 share. CBS was second at 7.5/12, NBC third at 6.5/11, Fox fourth at 4.0/6, CW fifth at 2.4/4 and Univision sixth at 2.1/3.