Blue Bloods proved to be ratings gold for CBS, as the Tom Selleck family police drama led the network to a Friday night win, according to early Nielsen estimates.

Bloods was the most-watched show of the night with 12.8 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, which was a 22 percent improvement over Numb3rs' premiere last fall.

The series also built on its lead-in from CSI: NY, which pulled in 10.3 million and notched a 2.0 rating in its new Friday timeslot. CSI: NY's premiere dropped about 50 percent from its Wednesday premiere last year, but it was on par with Medium's debut in the same slot last year. Returning an hour earlier, Medium drew 6.1 million and a 1.4 rating, down about a third from its premiere last year.

Blue Bloods also crushed NBC's timeslot premiere of Outlaw (5 million, 1.1 rating), which fell more than 50 percent from its Wednesday night premiere last week. However, Outlaw, combined with two hours of Dateline (7.2 milion, 1.6 rating), helped NBC place second for the night.

CW's new Friday pairing of Smallville and Supernatural also got off to a super start, lifting the netlet to a rare third-place finish. Both shows averaged approximately 3 million viewers and a 1.2 rating, besting Fox's Good Guys in its timeslot debut