'Kendra' sets E! ratings record; 'Army Wives' drops

There's nothing more satisfying for an artist than to achieve success on your own after ditching the group that made you famous.

Sting after The Police ... Justin Timberlake after N'Sync ... and now ... Kendra Wilkinson after "Girls Next Door."

E!'s new reality series "Kendra" premiered as the highest-rated series debut on the network since another former Playmate had a solo act on the network -- "The Anna Nicole Show" in 2002. In fact, "Kendra" out-performed all premiere episodes of "Girls Next Door," including last season's debut by 76% in the adult demo.

"Kendra" (clip below) at 10 p.m. averaged 2.6 million viewers and a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49. The docusoap also helped boost the second season premiere of "Denise Richards: It's Complicated," which hit a series high with 1.5 million viewers. 

Over on Lifetime, the return of drama series "Army Wives" opened its third season with 3.5 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among women 18-49.

That makes "Wives" the top-rated drama premiere in Lifetime's key demographic so far this year, though the show declined 22% among total viewers compared with last year's premiere.