Ratings Chart Attack!

One of the last shows to come back with original episodes after the writers strike-related hiatus, Fox’s “House,” returned to form Monday as the night’s top-rated show, despite being down considerably from its previous Tuesday average.

“House” scored a 5.7 rating/13 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen preliminary numbers. The medical drama soared 159% over “New Amsterdam’s” previous season-to-date average in the demo. “Amsterdam” previously held the 9 p.m. Monday time slot.

However, “House” dipped 11% from its previous season-to-date average on Tuesdays.

“Bones” (3.2/9) improved 19% from last week’s showing, helping Fox finish the night in first place with a 4.4/11.

“How I Met Your Mother” (3.8/10) and “The Big Bang Theory” (3.0/9) both were up slightly from last week on CBS (3.9/10).

“Mother” grabbed headlines Monday as production began on another episode featuring guest star Britney Spears.

“Two and a Half Men” (4.7/11) dipped 6% and “Rules of Engagement” fell 5%. “CSI: Miami” (3.9/10) dropped 9%.

It was a close third for ABC (3.7/9), with tentative numbers for “Dancing With the Stars” (4.4/11) on par with last week. If the preliminary numbers hold, “Samantha Who?” (3.6/8) would see a 29% leap—that’s nearly a full ratings point. “The Bachelor” would be flat from last week with a 2.6/7.

Live programming tends to disrupt preliminary numbers, meaning ABC’s numbers probably will change once final numbers are released by Nielsen.

NBC’s (2.9/7) “Deal or No Deal” (2.9/7) was on the low side, down 19% from its previous season average, but up a bit from last week’s episode. “Medium” (3.1/8) was on par with its average.

The CW (1.2/3, 1.8/5 in the 18-34 demographic) continues to see good results from the return of “Gossip Girl” (1.7/3, 1.9/6 in 18-34), as the show essentially held even with last week’s solid numbers.

“One Tree Hill” slipped 14% from last week to a 1.2/3. Also, the show dropped 24% in 18-34 to a 1.6/4, tying its previous season average in that demo.

Interestingly, last week’s “Gossip” return appears to have kick-started the week for The CW, as several shows Tuesday through Thursday cashed in with high ratings in key demos not seen in nearly a month.