‘Threshold’ in middling debut

Ratings for Friday’s premiere of “Threshold” were hardly out of this world.

CBS’ two-hour debut of the sci-fi thriller -- about a team of scientists investigating an extraterrestrial craft that touches down in the Atlantic -- averaged a so-so 8.4 million viewers, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research. The first hour stumbled against NBC’s “Dateline” (9.7 million), though “Threshold” perked up later and won the 10 p.m. slot.

On the WB Network, the sitcom premiere “Twins” (3.1 million), starring Melanie Griffith and Sara Gilbert, improved on its lead-in, “What I Like About You” (2.8 million). But “Living With Fran” (3.3 million), the new Fran Drescher vehicle, had trouble hanging on to the “Reba” audience (4 million).