This year's "hot new shows" seem to be having some difficulty ratings wise.  "Fringe" a J.J. Abrams show on Fox, debuted with less viewers than expected. The numbers came in at 9.1 million, which may seem like a lot, but "Lost" debuted at 18.6 million. 

While the show seems to be well liked, the numbers aren't showing it.  According to TV.com, the show has an 8.0 rating on their site.  Some speculate that the less-than-expected numbers could be due to either poor reviews or possibly even people recording the shows and not watching them "live". 

"90210" ratings also slipped with it's second episode, losing 3.2 million viewers. The CW, which is rumored to be in trouble, can't afford to have a flop on their hands.