CNN's Reboot Of 'Crossfire' Is A Disappointment In Its Big Debut

CNNCNN's reboot of "Crossfire," the long-running political debate program that first aired from 1982-2005, posted modestly disappointing ratings in its debut on Monday.

Hosted by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Obama campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter on Monday, "Crossfire" placed third in total viewers and second in the key 25-54 age demographic. Its ratings were up about 45% from the previous four Mondays at 6:30 p.m., but it was aided by the end of summer and a big lead-in - a presidential interview.

Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier quadrupled "Crossfire" in total viewers, and more than doubled it in the key demo. Fox was also coming off a presidential interview at the top of the hour.

Here are the numbers for the 6:30-7 p.m. slot:

• Fox News "Special Report" - 2,402,000 total viewers; 384,000 in the 25-54 demo
• MSNBC's "Politics Nation" with Al Sharpton - 617,000 total viewers; 116,000 in the 25-54 demo
• CNN's "Crossfire" - 581,000 total viewers; 171,000 in the 25-54 demo

As always, it's hard to make broad judgments about a show's ratings after one episode. CNN moved up "Crossfire's" premiere, though, which was scheduled to come Sept. 16. But even amid the buzz and the furious news cycle, it premiered to a rather soft landing.