Unflappable detective Horatio Caine led a pack of high-performing debuts and helped CTV claim four out of the top five spots among new and returning fall fare last week.

CSI: Miami was tops with 2.77 million viewers on Monday, Sept. 22 -- up from 2.2 million last season -- for the episode entitled "Resurrection", which picked up from the season-six cliffhanger when Caine was shot. (All numbers 2+ unless otherwise indicated.)

While it was close, Miami couldn't dethrone House, as the Global medical drama takes the prize once again for the highest-rated premiere of the fall season thus far. House debuted on Sept. 16 with 2.8 million viewers.

Last week also saw the return of CTV staples including Criminal Minds with 2.6 million, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives with 2.3 million, CSI: NY with 2 million, and reality competition Dancing with the Stars with 1.7 million viewers. All shows except Criminal Minds and Housewives are down slightly from previous season premieres.

Survivor: Gabon was the lone returning Global show in the top five last week, with 2.2 million, followed by the season-three debut of Heroes, with 1.3 million viewers. Heroes scored higher than CSI: Miami among viewers 18-49 in urban centers including Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

Among new shows, action series Knight Rider nabbed just under one million for its premiere ep on Wednesday on E!, likely helped by a big push from Canwest, which included a "KITT-napping" contest to win a new Mustang.

Also on E!, new comedy Worst Week managed 455,000 viewers on Sept. 22 at 9:30 p.m., facing stiff competition from the last hour of CTV's Dancing with the Stars.

New drama The Mentalist averaged 321,000 viewers on A for its Sept. 22 premiere in a tough 10 p.m. timeslot opposite CSI: Miami on the main CTV network. Mentalist gained many more eyeballs for an encore broadcast on Friday that grabbed 925,000 viewers.

Meanwhile, CTV's Flashpoint has been bumped from the schedule for now, in part due to Thursday's English-language Canadian election debate. No word on when the series will return, but a spokesperson says the network plans to maximize the remaining four episodes of the homegrown drama. American caster CBS will air the U.S. vice-presidential debate on Thursday.