Last year CBS struggled to find a show that could hold “Two and a Half Men’s” lead-in. This year it’s found one that surpassed it.

In its second outing, “Rules of Engagement” actually built on “Men’s” 9 p.m. lead-in in an extremely competitive 9 p.m. timeslot. “Engagement” averaged a 5.0 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, 0.1 better than “Men.”

“Men” did draw 2.1 million more total viewers, 15.6 million, than “Engagement.” But that’s of little concern to CBS. Last year the network cycled several shows through the 9:30 p.m. timeslot last year – “Out of Practice,” “Courting Alex” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” – and none held more than 82 percent of the lead-in, much less surpassed “Men.”

The reason may be that “Engagement” is simply a better fit. Like “Men,” which focuses on two brothers and a young boy, it has a strong male perspective, with two beleaguered husbands and a swinging single pal. By contrast, “Christine” and “Alex” had female lead characters and “Practice” had a strong female lead with Stockard Channing.

“Engagement” fell just 4 percent from last week’s solid 5.2 debut and is the highest-rated new sitcom of the season.

And the show’s success could give CBS’s entire Monday a boost for next year. Assuming the new show “The Class” is axed, “Christine” could move to 8 or 8:30 to pair with the more compatible “How I Met Your Mother.”

Meanwhile, Fox finished first among viewers 18-49 on a tightly contested Monday night, averaging a 5.0 rating and a 12 share. CBS was a close second at 4.9/12, NBC third at 4.6/11, ABC fourth at 3.5/9, Univision fifth at 1.9/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox began the night in the lead with a 4.9 for the first of two hours of “24.” NBC was second with a 4.6 for “Deal or No Deal,” ABC third with a season-high 3.7 for “Wife Swap” and CBS fourth with a 3.4 average for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.6) and “The Class” (3.3). Univision was fifth that hour with a 2.1 for the first half of a two-hour “La Fea Mas Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.2 average for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.2) and “All of Us” (1.2).
 
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 6.3 for “Heroes,” with Fox and CBS tied for second at 5.0, Fox for its second hour of “24” and CBS for “Two and a Half Men” (4.9) and “Rules of Engagement” (5.0). ABC dropped to fourth with a season-high 4.1 for “Supernanny,” with Univision fifth with a 2.2 for the second half of “Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.3 average for “Girlfriends” (1.3) and “The Game” (1.2).
 
CBS took its turn on top during the 10 p.m. hour, leading with a 6.4 for “CSI: Miami,” the night’s top-rated show in the demo. NBC was second with a 2.8 for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” ABC third with a 2.7 for “What About Brian” and Univision fourth with a 1.5 for “Cristina.”
 
The standings among households were also fairly competitive, with CBS coming out on top for the night with 9.4 average rating and a 14 share. Fox was second at 7.9/12, NBC third at 7.7/12, ABC fourth at 5.3/8, Univision fifth at 2.5/4 and CW sixth at 1.8/3.