A rebroadcast of the pilot episode of Glee, one of Global’s highly touted fall pickups, nabbed over one million viewers last Wednesday.

The simulcast of the Fox musical comedy garnered 53% of total viewing in the 18-49 demographic at 9 p.m. on Sept. 2, according to Global, despite tough competition from a repeat of CTV’s Criminal Minds, which drew 1.3 million viewers. (All numbers 2+ unless otherwise indicated.)

‘This is a terrific start, and we are very excited for the official premiere,’ Canwest’s EVP of content Barb Williams tells Playback Daily. The series will stay in the timeslot, airing new episodes starting this week.

The hour-long pilot had already aired last spring — after the finale of American Idol — and has received respectable reviews from TV critics, including Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press, who calls it ‘one of the most promising shows this fall.’

The series, set in an Ohio high school, is about a teacher who becomes director of the glee club, with hopes to revive it.

It will be followed on Global by the remake of the soapy Melrose Place at 10 p.m. Global’s Wednesday lineup will face CTV’s crime series Criminal Minds and CSI: NY, which return on Sept. 23 with new seasons, though the shows will likely target different audiences.