Amazing Race helps S#*! sell Sunday on CTV

Daddy-daughter Racers Gary & Mallory

The Amazing Race continues to be an amazing story for CTV, racing back as Canada’s No. 1 Sunday show with close to 2.5 million viewers according to overnight estimates. That topped a big night at the private broadcaster, which squeezed in six shows between 6 p.m. and midnight—and saw all six pull well over a million viewers. Besides Race at 9:30, CTV scored with their always robust local Evening News (1,177,000), a not-so-potent anymore Desperate Housewives (1,284,000 for the seventh season premiere), William Shatner's new sitcom S#*! My Dad Says, doing an estimated 1.5 mil out of simulcast, the season premiere of Undercover Boss, which did better than 1.5 mil and CTV National News, pulling 1,212,000 viewers at 11.
There were still plenty of viewers left over for the other networks Sunday night. CBC's family drama Heartland (below) galloped back at 7 with close to a million viewers. Much-hyped Battle of the Blades did an overnight, estimated 1.5 million at 8 for what was essentially a warm up show; the hockey/figure skating pairs will be introduced tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC.

The Simpsons proved as durable as ever, scoring 1,512,000 for its 22nd season premiere on Global—just a thousand more 2+ viewers than Blades but nearly twice as many in the 18-49-year-old demo. Family Guy also did a million plus for Global, with Brothers &Sisters (792,000) and The Cleveland Show (727,000) also in Global's steady Sunday mix.
Citytv's top show Sunday was the season premiere of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with an estimated 459,000 viewers. TSN had a strong Sunday, with 676,000 CFL fans catching the Edmonton/Argo tilt out East at noon and another 479,000 watching the NFL Sunday night game.
YTV saw 424,000 viewers celebrate the Next Star finale. The third episode of new Canadian supernatural drama Lost Girl was found by 185,000 at 7 and another 144,000 at 8:40 p.m. on Showcase.