A kinder, gentler American Idol kicked off on CTV last night, with the caustic Simon Cowell and erratic Paula Abdul replaced by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and singer Jennifer Lopez. Call it American Idol 10: Lips ‘n Hips.

CTV reports that the 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. premiere was watched by 2.9 million viewers (BBM, 2+), up 5% from last season’s average audience. The show peaked to 3.5 million and easily won its spot, with 7.7 million viewers tuning in to see some part of the show. CTV notes that last night’s Idol was its biggest premiere since The Big Bang Theory opened last September to 3.1 million viewers.

The ratings helped push the post-Idol 10 p.m. slot as well, as Blue Bloods captured 1.6 million.

The two-night Idol premiere extravaganza continues tonight on A, with highlights from the auditions in New Orleans.

This story was updated January 21 at 11:20 a.m. The season 10 premiere was up 5% over last year’s average audience, not the season opener.