"Gotham" is the first of the new comic book-based television series to debut in the 2014-2015 season, and data from TV By The Numbers indicates the premiere was a strong start for the freshman show. "Gotham's" pilot episode brought in 8 million viewers with a 3.2 in the coveted 18-49 demographic, and was third in its timeslot for the evening.

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While "Gotham's" debut didn't break any records, it's impressive due to a number of factors, including the fact that it went toe-to-toe with CBS' ratings behemoth "The Big Bang Theory" debuting its eighth season. It also faced some hefty competition from reality TV season debuts: "The Voice's" new season on NBC and "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC -- and it still managed to score the third-highest 18-49 Nielsen rating in its timeslot. And though its 8 million viewers is impressive, its competition all pulled in at least 4 million viewers more than the new scripted drama.

A promising start to the new 2014 television season for comic book fans -- any series that can hold its own against "The Big Bang Theory" and reality TV is impressive -- there remain a number of other series to debut in the coming weeks, including "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s" second season on Tuesday, "The Flash's" pilot on October 7, "Arrow's" return on October 8 and "Constantine's" debut on October 24.

Check out the full Nielsen ratings for Monday night, via TV By the Numbers, below.

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