Ratings Chart Attack!

Britney Spears didn’t bump “How I Met Your Mother” one more time—her second guest spot on the CBS comedy landed the show right around its average in the ratings. Meanwhile, NBC’s “American Gladiators” sputtered during its second-season debut.

“Mother” earned a 3.8 rating/10 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. Last night’s “Mother” was up slightly from the previous week, but down a tick from its season-to-date average. Spears’ first guest appearance lifted the show to a series-high 4.5/12.

There wasn't much movement in the rest of the CBS lineup, as “Two and a Half Men” (5.0/12) was up and “The Big Bang Theory” (2.9/9) was down a tick from last week. “Rules of Engagement” (4.1/10) increased two-tenths of a point and “CSI: Miami” (4.0/10) stayed flat. CBS finished second for the night with a 4.0/10.

NBC idled into its All American Summer with the return of “American Gladiators,” banking a lackluster 1.9/5, the third lowest rated show of the night. That’s more than a full ratings point off from when it left the schedule in February. “Medium” helped the night with a season finale rating of 2.9/8, a 9% decrease, leaving NBC with a 2.2/6 for the night.

First-place Fox (4.5/12) did well with “Bones” (3.2/9), up 19%, and the first part of a two-part season finale for “House” (5.8/14). “House” was up 14%.

ABC (3.7/10) ended another season of “The Bachelor” (3.3/8), increasing a full ratings point from last week. In its season finale, “Samantha Who?” (3.2/8) also saw an increase over last Monday of 10%. “Dancing With the Stars” (4.2/11) was down just a tick from last week.

“Gossip Girl’s” (1.2/3) digital experiment of funneling viewers to broadcast by not streaming episodes is in its fourth week, and the show's ratings were up 20% over last week. Women 18-34 also increased from last week by 14% to a 2.4/6.

“One Tree Hill” (1.2/3) was up slightly. The CW finished fifth with a 1.2/3.