CBS’s marathon of four reruns of "The Big Bang Theory" was the top Nielsen programming block Thursday night, even up against the season premiere of NBC’s "The Apprentice," reports TVbytheNumbers.com.

At 8 p.m. a new "Vampire Diaries" on CW rated a 1.4 in the 18-49 demographic for the hour, up against all reruns. CBS’s “Big Bang Theory” repeats topped the competition with a 2.0 rating and a 2.4 for the two half-hours.

At 9 p.m. the first hour of "The Apprentice" rated a 1.4 and a 1.5 for the top and bottom halves of the hour in the 18-49 demo, besting CW’s "Nikita," which averaged a 1.25 in the demo. “Big Bang Theory” again led the way with a 2.6 rating in the demo for each half-hour.

The 10 p.m. hour of "The Apprentice" logged a 1.55 average rating in the 18-49 demo running against only reruns. The show’s overall 1.5 rating in the demo made it the lowest-rated “Apprentice” ever, according to the story.