A bunch of burlesque dancers seem to be a better complement to the “Gilmore Girls” than a brainy college detective.

The premiere of the CW’s new reality show “Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll” delivered all-time bests for the young network in its Tuesday 9 p.m. timeslot last night and even bettered its “Girls” lead-in among teenagers.

“Dolls” averaged a 2.0 in the network’s target adults 18-34, according to Nielsen overnights, tying for best ever in the slot. It set bests in adults 18-49 (1.7), total viewers (3.9 million) and the young adult women demographics as well.

That boosted the CW to its highest-rated Tuesday yet among women 18-34 at a 3.4 average, and it matched the network’s best Tuesday in adults 18-49 (1.9) and women 18-49 (2.6).

Perhaps most interesting, “Dolls” saw big growth from its lead-in among teens, jumping 29 percent to a 2.7. Again, it was particularly popular with girls, averaging a 4.3 in female teens.

In what may not bode well for former timeslot occupant “Veronica Mars,” “Dolls” showed solid improvement over that show’s final pre-hiatus outing last week. It was up 35 percent in women 18-34 and 33 percent in 18-34s. And it held more of “Girls’” lead-in in 18-34s and 18-49s, with almost no dropoff in the second half hour.

The CW finished second adults 18-34 from 8 to 10 p.m. behind Fox, which as usual dominated every demographic.

The “American Idol” network finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 10.3 average rating and a 26 share. NBC was a distant second at 2.3/6, with CBS third at 2.2/6, Univision and CW tied for fourth at 1.9/5, and ABC sixth at 1.8/5.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 10.9 for “American Idol,” followed by a 2.6 for CBS for a repeat of “NCIS.” Univision was third that hour with a 2.3 for “La Fea Mas Bella,” NBC fourth with a 2.2 for “Dateline,” CW fifth with a 2.0 for “Gilmore Girls” and ABC sixth with a 1.7 for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
 
Fox maintained its huge lead at 9 p.m. with a 9.6 for “House,” with ABC moving to second with a 2.2 for “Primetime.” NBC was third that hour with a 2.0 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” Univision fourth with a 1.9 for “Mundo de Fieras,” CBS fifth with a 1.8 for a repeat of “The Unit” and CW sixth with a 1.7 for the premiere of “Pussycat Dolls: Search for the Next Doll.”
 
With Fox out at 10 p.m., NBC led with a 2.8 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” CBS finished second that hour with a 2.4 for “48 Hours Mystery” and ABC and Univision tied for third at 1.5, ABC for a repeat of “Boston Legal” and Univision for “Ver para Creer.”
 
Among households, Fox finished first for the night with a 15.1 average rating and a 23 share. CBS was second at 6.3/10, NBC third at 5.3/8, ABC fourth at 4.1/7, CW fifth at 2.8/4 and Univision sixth at 2.3/4.