More than eight million people tuned in to watch the return of Cracker on Sunday evening, according to unofficial overnight figures.
Robbie Coltrane has played Fitz in Cracker since 1993
Cracker - starring Robbie Coltrane as grumpy psychologist Fitz - returned to ITV1 for a one-off special after a 10-year hiatus.
An average of 8.1m people watched the drama, created by Jimmy McGovern.
The second episode of BBC One's Jane Eyre attracted 5.5m viewers during the same time slot.
The new series of Beyond Boundaries on BBC Two - which features a team of disabled people attempting to cross Africa - was watched by 1.2m.
And an average of 1.4m people watched The 100 Greatest Cartoons on Channel 4, while 1.6m tuned in to xXx, starring Vin Diesel, on Five.
Acclaimed writer McGovern, whose credits include BBC's The Lakes and The Street, recently criticised the quality of drama on ITV.
He said he avoided ITV's primetime dramas and singled out Footballers' Wives for being "dross".