It worked quite well for the movie “Borat” and the NBC show “Heroes,” which both received critical praise and sparked messageboard discussions months before they debuted. It did not work as well for “Snakes on a Plane” and “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” which bombed despite loads of pre-premiere web anticipation.

Put Nickelodeon’s “Naked Brothers Band” in the hit category. After more than a month of online hype, the show debuted last Saturday with the best kids 6-11 rating for an original Nickelodeon series since 2000.

The 9 p.m. telecast averaged a 10.0 rating among 6-11s, the best debut since the premiere of “Caitlin’s Way” seven years ago. It was up 68 percent over the show that aired in that timeslot last year, “All That.”

And among kids 9-14, it also performed well, averaging a 7.6, up 62 percent over last year. In both demographics, it drew more viewers than ABC’s competing “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” rerun.

An 8:30 p.m. preview also did well in both demographics.

The show is a mash of truth and fiction, starring real-life musical geniuses Nat and Alex Wolff, ages 12 and 9. They perform in a band called the Naked Brothers, and their co-stars include their real-life dad, friends and musical collaborators.

But the pickles they find themselves in are generally fictional, as is their TV dad’s tone deafness. In real life, he’s the former bandleader for “The Arsenio Hall Show.”

The series became a phenomenon on Nick.com well before it launched, and it likely carried over to TV because of the sheer volume of different tactics Nick used to draw in potential viewers. It gave kids a solid idea of what to expect from the show, which was spun off of a movie.

“Naked” has generated 1.9 million hits on the network’s messageboard, becoming its No. 1 board. And since its Jan. 15 launch, a “Naked” game called “Ready to Rock” has generated 2.6 million plays.

A single by the band released nearly three weeks ago has been downloaded more than 25,000 times on iTunes, and nearly 15 million “Naked” streams have been watched since Jan. 1 on TurboNick, the network’s broadband site.

“Naked’s” ability to deliver on its e-buzz may have been helped by the fact that parents probably made it a point to tune in with their kids. The show averaged 3.7 million total viewers, with adults drawn in by cameos by Hall and other stars who appeal to an older age group.

Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending Feb. 4:

Among teens 12-17: Super Bowl-powered CBS won the week with a 5.3 rating and 17 share, followed by Fox at 3.3/10, the CW at 1.5/4, ABC at 1.3/4, Univision and NBC at 1.2/4, Telefutura at 0.3/1, Telemundo at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Among kids 2-11: CBS led with 3.3/13, followed by Fox at 2.2/7, Univision at 1.4/6, ABC at 1.1/4, NBC and ABC at 0.9/4, the CW at 0.9/3, Telemundo at 0.3/1, Telefutura at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.

The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. “Super Bowl” (CBS, Sunday 6:27 p.m.); 2. “Super Bowl Kickoff” (CBS, Sunday 6 p.m.); 3. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 6 p.m.); 5. “Super Bowl Post-Game” (CBS, Sunday 10:04 p.m.)

The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. “Super Bowl” (CBS, Sunday 6:27 p.m.); 2. “Super Bowl Kickoff” (CBS, Sunday 6 p.m.); 3. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 4. “Super Bowl Post-Game” (CBS, Sunday 10:04 p.m.); 5. “Naked Brothers Band” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 9 p.m.)

The top five shows among 9-14: 1. “Super Bowl” (CBS, Sunday 6:27 p.m.); 2. “Super Bowl Kickoff” (CBS, Sunday 6 p.m.); 3. “Super Bowl Post-Game” (CBS, Sunday 10:04 p.m.); 4. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 5. “American Idol” (Fox, Wednesday 9 p.m.)