CBS leads weekly ratings with help from ‘CSI’, NCAA

CBS’ strong Thursday night lineup and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament helped the network dominate last week’s prime-time ratings.

Led by “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” all three of CBS’ Thursday programs were among the six most-watched programs of the week, according to Nielsen Media Research. Three of NBC’s programs that night were in reruns.

The basketball semifinals Saturday also finished among Nielsen’s top 12.

The ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” cracked Nielsen’s top 10 for its second episode Sunday, helped by its plum time slot following “Desperate Housewives.”

NBC’s remake of “The Office” ranked a disappointing No. 74, with fewer than 6 million viewers, in its premiere.

Fox’s new “Life on a Stick” did much better on the surface, with 9.5 million people watching last Wednesday. But that was less than half the audience of its “American Idol” lead-in.

For the week, CBS averaged 13.4 million viewers in prime time (8.5 rating, 14 share), and won among the 18- to 49-year-old demographic sought by advertisers.

ABC averaged 9.6 million viewers (6.2, 10), NBC 9.3 million (6.3, 10), Fox 9.1 million (5.6, 9), UPN 3.4 million (2.4, 4) and the WB 2.7 million (1.8, 3).

A ratings point represents 1,096,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 109.6 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

The top 10 shows for the week ending Sunday: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 28.2 million viewers; “American Idol” (Tuesday), Fox, 26.4 million; “American Idol” (Wednesday), Fox, 24.9 million; “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, 24.6 million; “Without a Trace,” CBS, 21.3 million; “Survivor: Palau,” CBS, 20.9 million; “House,” Fox, 18.3 million; “Lost,” ABC, 17.8 million; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 17.7 million; NCAA Men’s Basketball Semifinal: North Carolina vs. Michigan St., CBS, 17.5 million.