LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- TNT's "The Closer" posted a series-high 8.8 million viewers (#1; 2.9 million adults 18-49; 3.8 million adults 25-54) for its third season launch on Monday, a basic cable original series record. Not surprisingly, said numbers were up from its previous season opener last summer (8.3 million overall; 2.6 million adults 18-49; 3.6 million adults 25-54).

Lead-out "Heartland" however drew just 4.3 million (#8; 1.2 million adults 18-49; 1.6 million adults 25-54), less than half of "The Closer's" audience.

Records were also broken by Lifetime's "Army Wives" (3.9 million, #10) and Discovery's "The Deadliest Catch" (4.1 million, #9) as each hit their series highs.

Also finishing in the top 15 were TNT's Nextel Cup coverage on Sunday (6.5 million, #3), USA's "WWE Raw" - 9:00 (5.6 million, #6) and 10:00 (5.8 million, #5), TBS's "House of Payne" - 9:30 (3.4 million, #T13), USA's broadcast of "The Pacifier" on Sunday (3.3 million, #15) and a Monday, 7:00/6:00c repeat of "The Closer" (3.4 million, #T13).

Outside the leaderboard, the second weeks of ABC Family's "Kyle XY" (1.9 million), FX's "Rescue Me" (2.5 million), HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" (973,000) and "Big Love" (1.5 million) fell from their respective openers.