The women of Wisteria Lane handily defeated the premiere of "The Sopranos," according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. "Sopranos" averaged 9.5 million viewers and a 4.5 rating/10 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, significantly off in both measures compared with the 12.1 million viewers and 6.2/15 it earned for its Season 5 premiere March 7, 2004. HBO executives have tried to lower expectations for this season's "Sopranos" after the resurgence of ABC at 9 p.m. Sundays in the 21 months between seasons.

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