James Hibberd

For the first time since its September premiere, CBS’ “Survivor” was the highest-rated show Thursday night, leading CBS to victory amid a repeat-strewn field.

CBS won the night among total viewers and the adults 18 to 49 with “Survivor” (4.5 preliminary rating) then “CSI” and “Without a Trace” repeats (3.4 and 2.5, respectively).

NBC was second. With “The Office” (3.0) now in repeats until the strike ends, losing the night’s tentpole comedy wounded the other shows. “My Name Is Earl” hit a series low (2.6), “30 Rock” and “ER” hit a season lows (2.5 and 3.4) and “Scrubs” was average (3.1). Somewhere “Office” showrunner Greg Daniels is holding a picket sign and going, “See?”

With ABC airing mainly repeats, Fox moved from its usual Thursday fourth place to third. The network aired well-rated crossover episodes of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” (2.4) and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (2.8).

ABC was fourth with repeats and “Big Shots” (a series-low 2.4). The CW was fifth with repeats.

From the “Rated” mailbag: “Why did ABC air a new episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on Thanksgiving and a repeat tonight?!”

Good question. Even with only a couple new episodes remaining of many shows due to the strike, ABC and CBS executives say they choose to air originals to low ratings on Thanksgiving for two reasons: To keep originals on during November sweeps and because it’s the night before Black Friday, which is tremendously important to advertisers. So in this case, a ratings hit is worth the cost. The networks also expect DVR playback for originals aired on the holiday to be huge.

NBC has revealed some of its strike-inspired January scheduling, slotting “American Gladiators,” another round of “The Biggest Loser” and a second season of “1 vs. 100.”

As reported Monday, “Gladiators” will launch Jan. 6. After the premiere’s two-hour opener, the reality competition revival will move to Monday at 8 p.m.

“The Biggest Loser” will continue Tuesdays at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 1. In this round, couples will compete rather than individuals—a first for the show.

The game show “1 vs. 100” will fall back into its Friday 8 p.m. slot on Jan. 4.

The unscripted programs join NBC’s previously announced “Celebrity Apprentice,” which will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 3.

“We’re kicking off the New Year with a bang,” said Craig Plestis, executive VP of alternative programming, development and specials at NBC. “With the adrenaline rush of ‘Gladiators,’ a brand-new twist on ‘Biggest Loser,’ the first million-dollar winner on ‘1 vs. 100’ and the wildest boardrooms ever seen on ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ NBC has a lot of excitement in store for reality fans in 2008.”

Unlike Fox’s strike schedule shuffle announced earlier this month, however, NBC’s premiere dates leave some intriguing question marks in its lineup. For instance: NBC only has one episode remaining of “Heroes” and three “Journeyman” left in its stockpile. On Mondays after “Gladiators,” it’s unclear what the network will air in the 9 and 10 p.m. hours.

Here’s a brief peek at Fox’s upcoming lie detector game show “The Moment of Truth.” Future promos will further emphasize the show’s hot-seat intensity, but this gives a decent first-blush preview.

Every once in a while there’s a rating that makes you do a double spit-take of green tea onto your monitor.

That’s the case with ABC’s debut last night of the half-hour special “Shrek the Halls,” which earned a 7.2 preliminary Nielsen rating among adults 18 to 49. That beat the combined deliveries of CBS, NBC and Fox in the half-hour by 22%.

“Shrek” gave a huge lead-in to the annual airing of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which was up 74% from its airing last year. The ratings dropped after that, however, with a special 9 p.m. airing of “Pushing Daisies” that nonetheless managed its best number since the show’s debut (3.8). “Dirty Sexy Money” was on par (2.6).

“Shrek the Halls” will repeat on December 11 at 8 PM.

In second place for the night, CBS had “Kid Nation” (a low 2.1), “Criminal Minds” (4.5, the best rating for “Minds” since its post-Super Bowl episode in February) and “CSI: NY” (4.1, matching its season high).

Fox was third with a pair of “Til Death” episodes (2.2 and 2.4) followed by a season-high “Kitchen Nightmares” (3.3).

NBC was fourth with its annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (2.0, down 23% from last year), “Bionic Woman” (2.2, another season low) and “Life” (2.2, its second lowest rating to date).

The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” was on par (2.4) and “Gossip Girl” had its second best rating to date (1.4).

Last Saturday’s much-anticipated “Battlestar Galactica” two-hour movie “Razor” had an unspectacular debut. The stand-alone entry in Sci Fi Channel’s Peabody-winning series garnered a 0.8 rating among adults 18 to 49 and was seen by 1.7 million viewers.

That’s almost exactly what the entire third “Battlestar” season averaged, but well below its season premiere last fall.

Tricky to tea-leaf what exactly this might mean for the upcoming fourth (and final) season, since “Razor” wasn’t a continuation of last season’s cliffhanger. Also, Sci Fi aired “Razor” on Thanksgiving weekend, which couldn’t have helped.

For those who missed the airing, the “Razor” DVD will be released Dec. 4.

NBC has set a debut date for its power-women dramedy “Lipstick Jungle.”

The show gets the “ER” slot, Thursday at 10 p.m., starting Feb. 7—as soon as the medical drama finishes its stockpile of produced episodes.

The new show is based on a novel by Candace Bushnell (“Sex and the City”) and stars Brooke Shields (“Suddenly Susan”), Kim Raver (“24”) and Lindsay Price (“Beverly Hills, 90210”).

“This provocative new series is a fun, sexy look at strong women in New York City,” Ben Silverman, NBC co-chair, said in a statement. “We are very excited about Candace Bushnell’s larger-than-life characters—as embodied by its perfect cast—that has made ‘Lipstick’ a highly anticipated event since the network acquired the best-selling book.”

Though placement in the “ER” time period is billed as a way of plugging a hole caused by the writers strike, the medical drama’s ratings have fallen off in recent seasons and this gives NBC the chance to try another show in the valuable slot.

ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia,” thematically similar to “Lipstick,” was originally supposed to debut this week, but it was pushed back due to the strike. ABC has not yet announced a new premiere date.

“Last Call” host Carson Daly leaping back to work at NBC during a writers strike has prompted the predictable scolding from the Writers Guild of America. The Smoking Gun’s revelation that he set up a scab-friendly joke hotline to help fill the show made the host himself a punchline.

Bloggers have been pretty merciless: “At least his writers weren’t funny” … “I've seen chimps with better TV charisma and good looks and interviewing skills” … “Back in his ‘TRL’ days, Carson Daly proved he was good at sucking up to celebrities. Turns out, he’s good at sucking up to executives, too” … “NBC has a late-night program hosted by Carson Daly?" … “Carson Daly is as lame as you imagined” … “When Jimmy Kimmel has more integrity than you do, maybe you need to hang it up.”

Thing is, Daly isn’t a WGA member. The man could make the argument that this is an altruistic move to keep the non-striking members of his crew employed, even though it’s tough to buy it. The joke hotline sounds like a standard late-night gag, and one can assume such a device would serve only to illustrate on air how important writers are to the show. Then again, considering the lack of public affection for “Last Call,” perhaps not.

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” had its weakest finale to date on a Tuesday night that saw a few shows with depressed ratings—including new lows for CBS’ “Cane” and The CW’s “Reaper.”

The “Dancing” finale gave ABC a win for the night (although Fox’s “House” was the highest-rated show) among adults 18 to 49 and total viewers. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” opened the night strong for ABC and won the 8 p.m. hour (with a 4.6 preliminary Nielsen rating among adults 18 to 49, down slightly from last year). The two-hour “Dancing” (6.4) saw race-car driver Helio Castroneves win the top prize.

Below is a video clip of Helio winning.

Fox was second with an on-par “Bones” (3.4) and “House” (7.0).

Third place goes to NBC, which had a two-hour “Biggest Loser” (an average 3.1, and doesn’t this show’s ever-changing episode length seem to mimic the yo-yoing of its contestants’ waistlines?), followed by a similarly average “Law & Order: SVU” (4.6).

CBS had a rough night, with “NCIS” (3.3) and “The Unit” (2.9) on the low side. The network’s real headache was at 10 p.m., however, with “Cane” (1.6) resuming its descent and dropping to an alarming new low against the “Dancing” finale. CBS has shown strike-inspired patience with this drama, but that number likely rules out a pickup.

The CW’s “Beauty and the Geek” was on par (1.3), but alas, poor “Reaper” (1.0). Watching the supernatural drama’s creative and ratings struggles is like a movie where the hero is frantically giving CPR to his lifeless love interest—“Breathe, damn you!”

1:30: Updated length of "Dancing With the Stars" finale

Biggest Surprise (tie): CBS' “Moonlight” and ABC's “Samantha Who?"

At the critics tour this summer, only “Viva Laughlin” was presumed a bigger dog than “Moonlight.”

Early in the season, when it became clear “Moonlight” had some passionate fans—but not yet clear it had enough—CBS executives joked they were worried that “Jericho”-inspired viewers would mail them garlic if they canceled the show. With “Moonlight” consistently winning the 9 p.m.. hour and its ratings improving steadily, they’re not worried anymore.

As for “Samantha Who?” the show was a second-string contender in ABC’s fall arsenal whose performance has surprised everybody. If you think high ratings are automatic for any show following a big hit like “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC has some post-“Grey’s Anatomy” real estate to sell you.

Sharpest Buzzdrop: The CW's “Aliens in America”

Generally critics continue to pimp a show whose premiere they enjoyed, even if it struggles in the ratings. Not so here. The “Aliens” pilot received positive reviews and then dropped off the map. With an average rating of about 0.8, it seems even those paid to watch TV shows aren’t watching this one.

Best Proof Critics Aren’t Smarter Than the Rest of Us: ABC's “Pushing Daisies”

In recent years critics have struggled to convince viewers to appreciate “Arrested Development,” “The Wire” and “Friday Night Lights.” The critical consensus going into the fall was that “Pushing Daisies” was a clever, unique and literate drama and so, naturally, only critics would appreciate the show. Guess what? Viewers got it.

Biggest Underdog: CBS’ “Cane”

No, not “Gossip Girl” or “Reaper” or some other show that has received publicity disproportionate to its audience. “Cane” is a true underdog: low-rated with anemic press, yet not nearly as bad as you think. The show’s sleepy subplots are ready-made for TiVo fast-forwarding, but with every episode, the main storyline has shoved protagonist Alex Vega further into a dark hole that seems impossible to escape.

Biggest Strike Beneficiary (tie): CBS' “Cane,” The CW's “Reaper,” ABC's “Big Shots” and Fox's “K-Ville”

All fell below their network’s respective red lines for their time periods, then kept going.

Biggest Mess: NBC's “Bionic Woman”

The tragedy of “Bionic Woman” was that NBC had the right idea. Throughout the summer, insiders wondered if NBC’s saturation bombing of ads for its retooling of the modestly performing 1970s version would help draw an audience. Then the premiere garnered the biggest number of the fall (at the time) and beat “Private Practice”—clearly viewers were ready and willing to watch a “Bionic” remake. But NBC wasn’t ready and willing to deliver a polished product. The ratings have dropped sharply with nearly every episode amid behind-the-scenes retooling.

Strangest Evolution: CBS' “Kid Nation”

An unprecedented amount of pre-air controversy. A soft premiere rating. Subsequent viewership drops and, later, some gains. “Nation” seemingly started with one audience (car-wreck reality gawkers) and ended up with another (kids and their parents). Fans say the show keeps getting better.

Most Foregone Conclusion (tie): CBS' “Viva Laughlin,” The CW's “Life Is Wild” and Fox's “Nashville”

Viewers watch ads for lame-sounding new series and read supportive comments made by network executives in the press and wonder how these people find their car keys in the morning. Truth is, most programmers privately have a clear sense of their show’s flaws long before the public catches on. In the case of this trio, just about everybody at their respective networks knew they weren’t going to work, yet aired them anyway. Some credit here to Fox, which may have plowed ahead with “Nashville,” but also yanked weak-buzzed “New Amsterdam” off the fall schedule in August despite a lack of scripted fall programming.

1:40 p.m.: Updated "Bionic Woman" paragraph

With the second-season premiere of ABC’s “Notes From the Underbelly,” a rare programming alignment has occurred: Sitcoms now air on three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS and The CW) for an entire hour—the same hour—each week. It’s apropos of nothing, save the usual statement about the scarcity of half-hour comedies. And, as a tribute to the dominance of CBS’ Monday block, its “Rules of Engagement” repeat whipped the other two sitcoms in the 9:30 p.m. slot.

With Fox airing repeats of “House” (2.9) and “Bones” (2.1), there was plenty of good news to go around last night for three of its competitors. Even the night’s winner among adults 18 to 49 in the preliminary Nielsens was a tie, with CBS and ABC locked for the top spot (and ABC winning among total viewers).

ABC’s hourlong “Dancing With the Stars” was the highest-rated show with a season-high 6.2. With a shorter “Dancing” this week, “Samantha Who?” took a hit (4.1) going head-to-head against CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” (a season-high 5.0) for the first time.

The “Underbelly” premiere finished third for its time period. It was lower than its April debut, but it also was the highest-rated episode since then (2.9). At 10 p.m., ABC’s time-period premiere of “October Road” (2.3) came in last for the hour.

In addition to “Two and a Half Men,” CBS’ comedy block included an on-par “How I Met Your Mother” (3.3), a “Big Bang Theory” repeat (2.8) and a “Rules” repeat (3.8). “CSI: Miami” (4.6) won the 10 p.m. hour.

NBC’s drama lineup perked up, with “Chuck” posting its strongest performance since its debut (3.3). “Heroes” (5.3, winning its hour) enjoyed its best rating in more than a month. “Journeyman” seemed to sense its being left off NBC’s list of full-season pickups and also posted gains, up 14% (2.5).

On The CW, the comedy lineup was average, but the once-promising “Aliens in America” (0.7) continues to struggle in the block.

NBC has picked up freshman dramas “Chuck” and “Life” for nine more episodes, the network announced.

"'Chuck' and 'Life' stand out in a crowded TV landscape because they are smart, well-produced series with incredibly talented casts,” said Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "Both shows are hitting their stride creatively, have developed loyal audiences and offer unlimited potential to grow throughout the season.”

The pickups are unexpected as the writers strike has made networks reluctant to order additional episodes since no scripts are being written. The “Life” pickup especially is a surprise, as the show has performed modestly in recent weeks, coming in last place on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. “Chuck,” which is still in production, has averaged a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49. “Life,” whose production has ceased, has averaged a 3.0.

Absent from the list of NBC fall series pickups so far: "Bionic Woman" and "Journeyman."

The network is expected to announce a midseason schedule this week, but one key detail has emerged. The network aired a promo during its “Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" coverage that revealed a premiere date for its “American Gladiators” revamp: Sunday, Jan. 6.

The “Gladiators” usual time period will not be on Sundays, however. Sources say the show will almost certainly switch to a midweek night after its premiere.

With Writers Guild of America contract negotiations resumed, the town is waiting for the first words to leak about how the talks are proceeding (and leak they will, media blackout or not).

Last week, network insiders were almost universal in their private predictions that this session would not result in a deal. Given the level of prior acrimony among the two parties, and the fact that a delay until January at this point isn’t hugely painful for studios, the current talks were thought to be a likely “second to last” round.

With a new report of backchannel progress being made running up to the talks, hopes are now higher.

Also: A comprehensive survey of issues surrounding the writers strike … Advertisers might ask for their money back … For those who missed it, Fox’s Mike Darnell talks about his “end of Western civilization” lie detector reality show (once a contestant is asked a question like “Are you sexually attracted to one of your wife’s friends?” they presumably realize that going on “Deal or No Deal” might have been a wiser bet) … Glad somebody pointed this out: The second season of Showtime’s “Dexter” has been better than any drama on broadcast this fall … 91% of reality producers say they receive no overtime pay … NBC to air “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” episodes from back when he still wasn’t funny … Has Fox broken its fall ratings curse?

Wednesday’s pre-holiday massacre: Viewing levels were down, yet networks aired original series anyway. The results were not pretty, with most shows hitting new lows. CBS continued its Wednesday winning streak and widened its margin versus ABC (a 3.1 average adults 18 to 49 preliminary rating to ABC’s 2.3). The finale for “Phenomenon” came in third place for the 8 p.m. hour. NBC also had a rare Wednesday second-place finish.

Thanksgiving specials: NBC's presentation of "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" and "The National Dog Show" were both down slightly from last year, with the parade hitting at least a five-year low. The parade had an 11.7 metered-market household rating, the dog show earned a 4.9. NBC is touting that 40 million viewers watched "all or some" of the parade, but there's a canyon of difference between "all" and "some." More exact numbers won't be available until later.

Also, finally figured out what's frustrating about NBC's annual display of pampered pooches: "Dog Show" is one of the few competitions aired without any critical commentary. Viewers have no sense of why any dog won or lost, only that they're all so damn adorable. If NBC wants to boost sagging "Dog Show" ratings, they should try adding a commentator next year who's willing to shrug off the holiday spirit and mock a Pyrenean sheepdog's lopsided gait. After all, it's not like you can offend the dogs.

CBS won Thursday night, with viewers suckered into a clip show of “Survivor” (3.6) followed by originals of “CSI” (4.1) and “Without a Trace” (3.1). NBC and Fox ran theatrical movies. ABC was second with “Ugly Betty” (2.2) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.0). ABC then aired the second-season premiere of “October Road” at 10 p.m., which on Thanksgiving is sort of like being pushed by your tribe into a volcano. The show fell 61% from its debut last March.

Friday and Saturday: With the exception of the lower viewing levels, Friday shook out like most weeks, with CBS winning the night with the top three shows. The CW, airing “Smackdown” (1.6), managed to tie ABC for third place. On Saturday, ABC broke CBS’ winning streak with college football.

Then the universe rights itself: Viewing levels returned to relative normalcy Sunday night. NBC won with “Sunday Night Football” where the Philadelphia Eagles faced the New England Patriots (7.5). ABC was second with a 100th-episode, two-hour special edition of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (3.4 and 5.0), followed by “Desperate Housewives” (6.9) and “Brothers & Sisters” (4.8). CBS came in third, with “60 Minutes” boosted by the NFL overrun (5.4), “The Amazing Race” (3.6), “Cold Case” (3.3) and “Shark” (3.1). Fox was fourth with its comedy lineup, mixing original episodes of “The Simpsons” (4.1) and “Family Guy” (4.7) with repeats. The CW had repeats.

The denial of a manufactured, reality storybook ending for ABC’s “The Bachelor” has fans enraged. The network likewise reportedly wasn’t pleased that Bachelor Brad choose “none of the above” for its finale. That the ending was a brilliant surprise now generating the most discussion in years about the veteran reality show seems to be getting overlooked.

Some viewers claim they’re going to boycott the show, but there was no evidence of channel flipping last night. “Bachelor: After the Rose” won the 10 p.m. hour and tied for being the highest-rated “After the Rose” ever.

Overall, Fox led the evening, but was down slightly week to week, with “Bones” (a 3.0 preliminary rating among adults 18 to 49) and “House” (6.8).

ABC was second with “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (3.3) and “He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown” (3.5), both improving on last year’s performance. The “Dancing With the Stars” finale hit a season high (4.9), then “After the Rose” (4.1).

NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” was on par (3.1) and “Law & Order: SVU” hit a season low (3.9) up against “Rose.”

Though in third place, CBS’s “NCIS” won the 8 p.m. hour (3.7), followed by an average “The Unit” (3.0) and “Cane” (2.0).
The CW had “Beauty and the Geek” (1.2) and a “Reaper” repeat (0.8).

After earning a narrow Monday night ratings victory last week, ABC shot ahead to take last night by a clear margin.

“Dancing With the Stars” (a 5.2 preliminary Nielsen rating among adults 18 to 49) had its highest rating since its premiere, dominating its time period. “Samantha Who?” (4.8) had its highest rating ever and “The Bachelor” finale (4.3) had its highest rating of the season.

CBS was second, with its comedy originals performing well: “How I Met Your Mother” (3.4), a “Big Bang” repeat (3.0), “Two and a Half Men” (5.1) and “Rules of Engagement” (4.3). At 10 p.m., “CSI: Miami” matched its highest rating of the season (4.9) and won its hour.

NBC’s “Chuck” (3.1) was up a tick, but “Heroes” (5.0) and “Journeyman” (2.3) were down slightly.

Fox was a distant fourth, with a “House” repeat (2.6) not helping “K-Ville” (1.3).

The CW’s comedy block was on the low side, averaging a 0.8 for the night.