Last night marked the debut of NBC’s “controversial” new sitcom, The New Normal. How did the TV show perform in the ratings?

Per the fast affiliate numbers, The New Normal drew a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.9 million total viewers. New Normal was the clear winner in its timeslot but the competition was minimal — a Castle rerun and part of CBS’ Fall 2012 preview.

That’s not a great start but not a terrible one either.

On the one hand, the pilot episode has been available online for weeks so anyone who was really looking forward to watching it likely had already done so. In addition, NBC added the “special preview” of The New Normal just last week so people who depend on TV Guide and other print publications for their listings may not have known it was on. I’m sure many tuned in expecting to find Grimm.

On the other hand, NBC gave New Normal a great lead-in with The Voice, their top show. The last half-hour of the reality competition registered a 4.7 demo rating with nearly 13 million. That means that New Normal lost about 47% of its lead-in audience and that’s not positive.

The show’s future will ultimately become more clear after we see how many people tune in tonight and over the next couple of weeks. For now, we know that The New Normal isn’t an out-of-the-gate smash or bomb.

What do you think? Are the ratings higher or lower than what you expected? Do you think The New Normal will end up being a success?