Fox's new serial-killer drama 'The Following'" remained steady from last week, taking the night's top ratings and pushing the network to a ratings win Monday night, while CBS's "Rules of Engagement" slid to a season low, according to preliminary numbers.

Slotted at 9 p.m., "The Following," which was renewed for a second season Monday, held even with last week's airing, posting a 2.8 rating/7 share in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic -- the night's best performance in the demo -- and inched up in total viewers for 8.7 million for the night's largest audience.

Combined with "Bones" at 8, which drew a 2.2/6 and had 8.2  million, it put Fox in first place in ratings for the night with a 2.5/7 and in total viewers with 8.4 million.

ABC took second place in ratings and total viewers with a 2.3/6 and 7.9 million. "The Bachelor" at 8 dipped to a 2.7/7 and had 8.4 million total viewers. A "Castle" repeat followed.

NBC came in third in ratings and fourth in total viewers with a 1.8/5 and 5 million. "The Biggest Loser" at 8 posted a 2.1/6 and had 5.9 million total viewers, while "Deception" at 10 dipped down to a 1.1/3, tying a series low, and took 3.3 million total viewers.

CBS, in fourth place in ratings and third in total viewers with a 1.6/4 and 6 million, aired repeats -- except for "Rules of Engagement" at 8:30, which slid 19 percent to a season low of 2.2/6 and drew 6.9 million total viewers.

At the CW, "The Carrie Diaries" at 8 jumped 25 percent in total viewership for a four-week high of 1.3 million, and rose slightly in ratings for a 0.5/1. Combined with "90210" the following hour, which had a 0.3/1 with 653,000 total viewers, the network averaged a 0.4/1 and 949,000 total viewers.