Ratings Chart Attack!

“Big Brother” barely edged out “The Moment of Truth” as the top-rated show of Thursday night, as CBS and Fox tied for Thursday’s highest-rated network.

For information on Barack Obama’s record-setting ratings during Thursday’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention, click here.

“Brother” scored a 2.2 rating/7 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research, increasing one-tenth of a percentage point from last week.

CBS and Fox both ended the night with a 1.7 rating/5 share.

Two special episodes of “Moment of Truth” brought in a 1.4/4 and a 2.1/6, respectively, for Fox. It was a different night for “Truth,” which usually airs on Tuesdays. Also, football preempted a good chunk of the country, which would explain the lowish first rating for the first episode. “Truth” last aired on a Tuesday on July 8, drawing a 2.0/6.

ABC and NBC tied for third with a 1.4/4. ABC showed repeats, while NBC’s Jaguars-Redskins game laid out a 0.8/3.

The CW took the fifth spot with a 0.6/2.

Watch to Watch for This Labor Day Weekend:

Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Not much. “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” are new on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. on Friday, which is different. But beyond that, go windsurfing or lobster-wrestling or something. Summer is ending.

Monday

ABC, CBS and NBC: Convention season isn’t over yet. The first day of the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul kicks off with the head honcho himself, President George W. Bush. Prime-time coverage starts at 10 p.m. EST.

The CW: Keep your acronym dictionary handy because, OMFG GUYS, “Gossip Girl” premieres its second season at 8 p.m. My texting thumbs are just aching in anticipation of quickly Twittering the word “Scandalous” at 8:07 p.m.

The CW also rolls out its sixth season premiere of “One Tree Hill” at 9 p.m.

Fox: “Prison Break” digs into its fourth season at 8 p.m. in a two-hour premiere. I’m getting a little frightened as to how many prisons in multiple countries can get broken out of and into.

While preliminary national ratings are currently out, a lot of local football coverage is inflating the ratings across the networks and won’t get sorted out until Nielsen releases final numbers this afternoon.

It would be somewhat presumptive to announce winners and losers from last night, bearing football in mind. But, in order to slake any ratings lust you might have, here’s a breakdown of how the conventions did on Thursday.

And read up on the historic viewership of Obama's speech here.

“America’s Got Talent” debuted Wednesday night to an eight-month non-Olympics NBC high, while CBS’ “Greatest American Dog” enjoyed a substantial uptick from last week.

“Talent” captured the night with a 2.8 rating/8 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

While that’s a season low for “Talent,” it dominated the night in a brand-new time slot, beating its closest competitors by a full ratings point.

And as always, the Democratic National Convention rolled on the Big Three networks at 10 p.m. yesterday. Get up to speed on how they did here.

NBC finished the night in first place with a 2.3/7.

Fox placed second with “Bones” repeats, landing a 1.8/5. Third-place CBS, with a 1.5/4, saw a nice 31% increase week-to-week with “Dog,” which rolled in a 1.7/5.

ABC took fourth with a 1.1/3 and The CW brought up the rear with a 0.4/1.

What to Watch for Tonight:

NBC, ABC and CBS: Mr. Hope McChange himself, Sen. Barack Obama, accepts his party’s nomination during the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver at 10 p.m. EDT.

Fox: “The Moment of Truth” returns after a monthlong hiatus with a new two-hour episode at 8 p.m. This episode includes Mark Walberg just skipping the whole truth-detector shtick, and he ends up just reading random diary pages and medical records of tonight’s contestants.

“Wipeout” and “America’s Got Talent” struggled in the ratings after returning from an Olympics-imposed hiatus Tuesday.

ABC’s “Wipeout,” with a 2.3 rating/7 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, landed at its lowest rating for an original episode. “Wipeout” slipped 34% from its previous season average of first-run episodes.

Then there was the Democratic National Convention. Click here to get the skinny on how Sen. Hillary Clinton’s speech did last night in the numbers.

“Wanna Bet?” (1.5/4) was near par, and ABC placed third, tying with CBS, with a 1.6/5. And on CBS, “Big Brother” (2.3/6) stayed average.

NBC’s “Talent” (3.0/9) also slipped, hitting its lowest Tuesday night rating of the summer, down 12% from its former average. NBC ended the night in first place with a 2.6/7.

Fox (2.0/6) took second place with repeats, and The CW ended the night in last place with a 0.8/2.

What to Watch for Tonight:

—NBC, ABC, CBS: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., accepts his nomination as vice president tonight, day three of the Democratic National Convention, at 10 p.m. EST. Please keep track as to how many times a political pundit uses the word “zinger” in regards to Sen. Biden.

The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday night to a lackluster opening, as Michelle Obama’s kickoff speech couldn’t overtake Bill Clinton’s talk in 2004.

The numbers of day one of the DNC are broken down here and here.

As for the rest of the night, NBC rolled out the season premiere of “Deal or No Deal” (2.8/9) to respectable numbers, and the launch of “America’s Toughest Jobs” (2.7/7). “Jobs” won the hour, but fell 31% from its “Deal” lead-in in total viewers to 7.5 million.

NBC finished the night in first place with a 2.3/6.

CBS took second with repeats, ending the night with a 1.8/5. Fox placed third with a 1.5/4, and ABC took fourth with a 0.8/2.

The CW was a close fifth with a 0.7/2.

What to Watch For Tonight:

—ABC, CBS, NBC: The Democratic National Convention welcomes Sen. Hillary Clinton to give tonight’s main speech at 10 p.m. EDT. Heads up: All of your Democratic friends holding out for Hillary will call you after the speech still bemoaning Sen. Clinton’s loss in the Super Tuesday primaries and then inform you they are voting for John McCain/Ron Paul/the ghost of Grover Cleveland.

—NBC: “America’s Got Talent” returns at 8 p.m. after a two-week break thanks to the Olympics. I know, your HPM (Hoff Per Minute) levels were running dangerously low.

—ABC: “Wipeout” at 8 p.m. is new. SPOILER ALERT: Someone falls in a muddy puddle. I know! I was just as shocked as you were.

Rolling through the weekend and into the Closing Ceremonies, the entire Beijing Olympics finished just 1% ahead of the Athens Games in average ratings among viewers 18-49.

Despite beating Atlanta in total viewership to become the most-viewed television event of all time, that sweet advertising spot of 18- to 49-year-olds for Beijing just barely beat out the 2004 Games (and as always, due to the nature of preliminary numbers, these figures could change).

Closing last night with a 6.9 rating/19 share in the 18-49 demo, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, the Beijing Games beat the Athens Games’ final night by 23%.

However, Friday (5.1/17) and Saturday (4.4/15) were the two worst nights in 18-49 for the Beijing Games, down 23% and 19%, respectively, from Athens. Saturday’s numbers were the lowest night of coverage in at least the past four Olympics.

NBC placed first on Sunday with a 6.9/19. ABC and CBS tied for second with a 1.5/4. “Big Brother” increased 10% from last week. Fox landed fourth with a 1.2/3 and The CW took fifth with a 0.3/1.

Saturday saw NBC in first with a 4.4/15. Fox tied CBS for second with a 1.5/5, and ABC placed last with a 0.9/3.

On Friday, NBC again landed in first with a 5.1/17. Preseason football on CBS gave the net a second place finish with a 1.6/5, and ABC placed third with a 1.4/5. The CW was fourth with two hours of “Smackdown” (1.3/4), and Fox ended up last (1.1/4).

What to Watch For:

With the Olympics over, we move full-steam ahead into the fall’s new and returning shows. Here’s the blow-by-blow of what you should be watching for tonight on broadcast:

NBC: From the creative minds behind “Ice Road Truckers” and “Deadliest Catch,” “America’s Toughest Jobs” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. According to the NBC press site, it features “13 men and women who venture out of their safe and comfortable careers and are injected into some of the most challenging, dangerous and demanding jobs on earth.” Some of those jobs include lumberjack, oil driller and assistant to Naomi Campbell.

NBC, CBS, ABC: The Democratic National Convention lands in prime time for a scant one hour at 10 p.m. EDT. Michelle Obama is tonight’s headliner, and our inside sources say she might talk about her husband. However, it’s up in the air, so don’t quote me on that. Of course, CSPAN is currently running wall-to-wall coverage of the Denver event. In fact, so is TelevisionWeek. Check it out here.

Those wacky folks over at Nielsen were so impressed by David Beckham booting a soccer ball into the crowd during the Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics that ratings have been delayed three times today. Currently, they're saying ratings should be made available by 4:30 p.m. EDT/1:30 p.m. PDT, so stay tuned.

The Beijing Olympics dipped to its lowest rating yet Thursday last night.

Pulling in a 7.2 rating/21 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research, Day 14 of the Games dropped 3% compared with the 14th day of the 2004 Athens Games.

Despite the drop, NBC dominated the night, outscoring the other networks combined by 41%.

CBS placed second with a 2.1/6, with an on-par “Big Brother” (2.1/7) and slightly above average “Flashpoint” (1.9/5).

Fox took third with pre-season football between the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears, catching a 1.5/5.

ABC nabbed fourth with a 1.1/3 and The CW was fifth with a 0.6/2.

Another night, another ratings win for the Olympics.

The Beijing Games pulled in an 8.1 rating/23 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, putting NBC in first place for the night.

Despite beating up on the competition, more than doubling the other networks’ combined ratings, NBC’s Wednesday night’s coverage was the second-lowest rated night so far of the Games (Saturday’s day 2 is the lowest). Compared to day 13 of the Athens Games in 2004, last night slipped 7%; it’s the fourth day straight to drop below the Athens watermark.

CBS took second with a 1.4/4, as “Greatest American Dog” (1.3/4) was flat from last week.

ABC placed third with a 1.3/4 and Fox landed fourth with a 1.2/3.

The CW landed fifth with a 0.3/1.

NBC continues to own prime-time with its coverage of the Beijing Olympics, which bested the other four networks combined by 83%.

NBC took gold for the night with an 8.4/23 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. However, compared with the same day of the Athens Games in 2004, Tuesday’s ratings were down 3% for the Beijing Games.

Through 12 days, Beijing is bettering Athens’ ratings by 4% in the 18-49 demo with a 9.5/28, and it’s up 11% in total viewers with an average 28.9 million.

The highest-rated half-hour of Tuesday night’s coverage occurred after 11 p.m., outside of fast national ratings coverage.

ABC and CBS tied for second with a 1.6/4. CBS’ “Big Brother” (2.1/6) declined 13% from last week, while ABC’s “Primetime: Medical Mysteries” (1.5/4) climbed one-tenth of a percentage point.

Fox placed fourth with a 1.1/3 and The CW brought up the rear with a 0.3/1.

Only two of the Big Five networks averaged above a 1.0 rating last night, as a majority of broadcast hibernates while the Olympics roll on.

NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Games brought in an 8.3 rating/23 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, down 10% from day 11 of the Athens Games in 2004. NBC finished the night first with an 8.3/23.

Through day 11, the Beijing Games are up 4% versus Athens in the 18-49 demo with a 9.6/28, and up 12% in total viewers with 29.2 million.

CBS placed second with repeats, pulling in a 2.0/5.

Fox took third with a 0.9/2.

ABC nabbed fourth with a 0.8/2. Its “High School Musical: Get in the Picture” (0.5/2) dipped a tenth of a rating point from last week.

The CW was fifth with a 0.5/1.

Swimmer Michael Phelps’ record eighth gold medal win on Saturday drew 40 million viewers around 11 p.m. Saturday as the Beijing Olympics rolled on to capture the weekend in the ratings.

Those 40 million viewers marked the largest NBC audience on a Saturday since 1990.

On Saturday, NBC ranked first with an 8.7 rating/24 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. That’s up 12% from the Athens Games in 2004.

Fox placed second with a 1.3/5, CBS took third with a 1.2/4 and ABC nabbed fourth with a 0.9/3.

On Friday, NBC scored an 8.2/26, an increase of 8% from Athens. ABC and The CW tied for second with a 1.3/4. Fox’s pre-season football coverage of the Oakland Raiders and the Tennessee Titans pulled in a 1.2/4. CBS placed last with a 1.0/3. “Swingtown” (1.0/3) increased a tenth of a percentage point from last week.

The Olympics (8.4/24) slipped in prime time on Sunday, despite dominating the night. Against Athens, the Beijing Games were down 9%. Of course, that number could change once final numbers are released.

NBC placed first with an 8.4/24.

Second-place CBS ended the night with a 1.5/4. “Big Brother” increased 21%, as “Brother” shifted times due to PGA overrun last week.

ABC placed third with a 1.3/4, Fox ranked fourth with a 1.2/3 and The CW was last with a 0.3/1.

Through day 10, the Beijing Olympics are up 4% in the 18-49 demo compared with Athens, averaging a 9.6/28.

The Olympics dominated Thursday, but they were down for the night against the past two previous Games in the ratings.

Pulling in a 9.3 rating/27 share, the Olympics ruled again in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. But, in comparison to the 2004 Athens Games and the 2000 Sydney Games, this year’s Games in Beijing were down for the first Thursday of the event.

For the first Thursday, Beijing is down 12% from Sydney and 17% against Athens.

The first Thursday in Athens was that Games’ highest-rated night, with several gold medals given out for gymnastics and swimming that day.

NBC finished Thursday in first place with a 9.3/27.

Everything else on the dial was about average for the summer, including CBS’ “Big Brother” (2.2/7) and “Flashpoint” (1.6/4). CBS placed second with a 1.8/5.

Fox took third with waterlogged pre-season football, with the game between the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles netting a 1.2/4. The game started an hour late due to heavy rains and thunderstorms. Fox landed third with a 1.3/4.

ABC took fourth with repeats, scoring a 1.0/3, while The CW was fifth with a 0.6/2.

The Olympics roll on for NBC, as the five-day average stands 13% above the 2004 Athens Games in the ratings.

Racking up a 11.1 rating/30 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, the Beijing Olympics are outpacing the Athens Games in both demos and total viewers (by 21%).

Day five of the Games was up 6% over the Athens Games, but it’s down 3% compared with Sydney in 2000. However, due to the nature of fast nationals, that number could change.

NBC finished the night in first with an 11.1/30.

Despite the massive Olympics numbers, second-place CBS aired “Big Brother” (2.4/6) to little erosion week-to-week. In fact, with 6.51 million total viewers, “Brother” hit a season high for a Tuesday episode.

CBS ended Tuesday night with a 1.6/4.

Third-place ABC, with a 1.5/4, launched the time-period premiere of “Wanna Bet?” (1.4/4), which increased 27% versus its previous time-period average on Mondays. “Primetime: Medical Mysteries” also pulled in a 1.4/4.

Fox placed fourth with a 1.2/3 and The CW was fifth with a 0.4/1.

The Olympics so far haven’t shaved too much off of ESPN’s preseason football games in the ratings. Monday’s Cincinnati Bengals/Green Bay Packers matchup wasn’t far off from Thursday’s pre-Games Saints/Cardinals game.

“Monday Night Football” garnered a 1.6 rating/5 share in the 18- to 49-year-old age group, an increase of one-tenth of a ratings point from Thursday.

Year-to-year, the telecast dipped 11% from a matchup between the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers.

TNT’s “The Closer” declined 28% week-to-week, but it topped the night in women 18-49 (1.9/5) and total viewers with 6.4 million.

MTV musical “The American Mall” (0.1/0) debuted Monday to a slight blip on the radar, in comparison to what Disney’s “Camp Rock” pulled in back in June.

“Mall’s” highest take was a 0.7/2 in 12- to 17-year-olds, which tied a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model” earlier in the night on MTV. “Rock’s” numbers in that demo were an 8.7/36.

The Summer Olympics continued its winning trend as day four of the Games ruled against repeats.

Day four of events, including swimming and men’s gymnastics, drew a 10.2 rating/ 27 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research.

The Beijing Games, through day four, are up 15% from the Athens Games in 2004. NBC averaged a 10.2/27 for Monday night.

Second-place CBS aired repeats, and took home a 1.9/5.

In third, ABC had “High School Musical: Get in the Picture” (0.8/2) and the season finale of “The Mole” (1.2/3), both flat from last week. ABC ended the night with a 1.0/3.

Fox took fourth with a 0.9/3, and The CW was fifth with a 0.4/1.

The Summer Olympics dominated the weekend’s ratings, as the Beijing Games are on pace to become one of the most watched Games ever.

Friday’s Opening Ceremony on NBC averaged a 10.3 rating/32 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.

The Opening Ceremony increased 27% over Athens’ Opening Ceremony in 2004, but remains second to Atlanta’s in 1996.

As unsurprising as it is, the Olympics are going to be the major story all week, as the Beijing Games are up 14% compared with the first weekend of the Athens Games in the 18-49 demo. The high-water mark of Atlanta is going to be Beijing’s true test.

On Friday, the rest of the nets combined were beaten by NBC by 134% as The CW (1.2/4) took second, CBS (1.1/3) and ABC (1.1/4) tied for third and Fox placed fifth with a 1.0/3.

Saturday was more of the same, as NBC took first with a 7.3/25 as swimmer Michael Phelps made his first run at gold at this year’s Games. Fox was second with a 1.3/5, CBS took third with a 1.1/4 and ABC placed last with a 0.9/3.

On Sunday, NBC averaged an 11.0/30, securing a first-place victory. The only other original programming on last night was “Big Brother” on CBS. According to Nielsen, the reality show drew a 1.5/4, but golf overrun will affect fast national numbers.

Metered markets for Sunday show the Olympics up 16% in households versus 2004 to the highest first Sunday since Barcelona in 1992.

CBS nabbed second with a 1.3/4, ABC took third with a 1.1/3, Fox placed fourth with a 1.0/3 and The CW was fifth with a 0.3/1.

Fox boogied in the ratings with the season finale of “So You Think You Can Dance,” besting the night’s second highest rated show by 26%.

“Dance” pulled in a 3.4 rating/11 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.

Down from last year’s finale by 8%, “Dance” increased 17% over last week’s hourlong episode. Fox ended the night first with a 3.4/11.

A special “America’s Got Talent” (2.7/8) on NBC dipped 21% from its Tuesday average to deliver its lowest number of the summer. “Last Comic Standing” (2.0/7) ended its run about par for the season, but down 31% from last year’s finale, which aired in mid-September.

NBC took second with a 2.3/7.

CBS’ “Big Brother” (2.1/7) slid 9% from its time-period premiere last week, while “Flashpoint” (2.1/6) increased 11%. CBS placed third with a 1.9/6.

ABC’s “Hopkins” finale (1.7/5) landed near its previous season average.

ABC grabbed fourth with a 1.4/4, and The CW was fifth with a 0.7/2.

A special reunion episode of “Baby Borrowers” bumbled in the ratings, falling off from its summer average by more than half.

NBC’s “Borrowers” grasped a 1.2 rating/3 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research. The show slipped 43% from last week and 52% from the show’s previous summer average.

NBC ended the night fourth with a 1.2/4.

Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” (3.0/10) is finishing its run, airing the first part of its season finale. “Dance” stayed flat from last week, but helped Fox handily beat second-place CBS by 76%. Fox led the night with a 3.0/10.

CBS’ time-slot shift of “Greatest American Dog” (1.5/5) isn’t causing anyone to sit up and beg, as the numbers remained the same from last week’s lackluster time-period premiere. Second-place CBS pulled in a 1.7/5.

ABC took third with a 1.4/5, with repeats and a special “Primetime: China Inside Out” (1.5/5).

The CW brought up the rear with a 0.4/1.

“I Survived a Japanese Game Show” sank to new lows in its finale Tuesday, and not just in its stunts.

“Japanese Game Show’s” two-hour finale grabbed a 1.8 rating/5 share in the 18- to 49-year-old age group, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. Yesterday’s show slipped 22% from last week and was off 28% from its season average to date.

Companion show “Wipeout” (2.8/9) fell below the 3.0 mark for the first time last night, declining 22%.

ABC finished the night in second place with a 2.1/6.

With ABC’s decline, NBC pulled out a victory for the night, its first Tuesday win since Jan. 8. NBC ran “Biggest Loser” and “Law & Order: SVU” on Jan. 8 during that sliver of airtime in January before the “American Idol” tank started rolling.

“America’s Got Talent” (3.5/10) was around par. NBC ended the night with a 2.8/8.

Fox and CBS tied for third with a 1.9/6. CBS’ “Big Brother” (2.4/7) increased two-tenths of a ratings point from last week.

The CW brought up the rear with a 0.4/1.

Teens turned out for the Miley Cyrus-infused Teen Choice Awards on Fox yesterday, more than doubling ratings for the show in the youth demographic over last year.

The 10th Annual Teen Choice Awards landed a 1.5 rating/5 share in the 18-49 year old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. But, the kids came out big time for the surfboard-awarding special, with a 3.8/14 in 12-17 age group (up 73% from last year) and a 6.0/20 in females 12-17 (up 122%).

It’s the show’s best return in those demos since 2004.

Fox finished the night third with a 1.5 rating/5 share.

CBS took the top spot for the night, with a 2.3/7 with an all-repeat lineup.

NBC’s “American Gladiators” (2.0/6) and “Nashville Star” (1.9/5) both aired season finales that didn’t improve substantially on the shows’ season averages. The network placed second with a 1.9 rating/6 share.

“High School Musical: Get in the Picture” (0.8/3) continued to suffer, down two tenths of a rating point from last week. “Wanna Bet?” (0.9/3) decreased 25%. “The Mole” (1.2/4) stayed flat.

ABC took fourth with a 1.0 rating/3 share, while The CW came in fifth with a 0.4 rating/1 share.

(Editor: Baumann)

Viewers are ready for football, as pre-season action lifted NBC to a Sunday ratings win.

The NFL’s Hall of Fame Game, pitting the Washington Redskins against the Indianapolis Colts, caught a 2.4/7 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research.

That rating likely will increase due to the nature of fast nationals.

This year’s Hall of Fame Game increased 26% over last year’s outing between the Seahawks and the Chargers.

NBC rounded out the night with an episode of “Dateline” (1.4/5), and finished first for Sunday with a 2.1 rating/7 share.

As for the rest of the schedule, CBS’ “Big Brother” (2.3/7) climbed 15% week-to-week and posted a Sunday season high. ABC’s “High School Musical: Get in the Picture” (0.9/3) slipped a tick.

Fox finished second with a 1.7 rating/5 share, CBS was third with a 1.5 rating/5 share, ABC took fourth with a 1.3 rating/4 share and The CW was fifth with a 0.4 rating/1 share.

On Saturday, Fox’s cop shows ruled as the network took first with a 1.4 rating/6 share. ABC was second with a 1.1 rating/4 share and NBC placed third with a 0.8 rating/3 share. CBS grabbed fourth with a 0.7 rating/3 share.

A ho-hum Friday saw a three-way tie between The CW, NBC and CBS for first. The CW and CBS sported a 1.2 rating/5 share, while NBC had a 1.2 rating/4 share.

NBC’s “Dateline” (1.4/5) led the night, despite its 14% week-to-week decrease, and CBS’ “Swingtown” (1.3/4) dropped by a percentage point.

A time-period switch for “Big Brother” sparked a rise in its ratings, as CBS played musical chairs with its original summer schedule.

Moving its eviction segment from Wednesday to Thursday, “Brother” pulled a 2.3/8 in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.

“Brother” increased 15% from its previous Wednesday average and trumped last week’s “Greatest American Dog,” which moved to “Brother’s” old slot, by 28%.

“Flashpoint” (1.8/6) increased a tick over last week’s time-period premiere, replacing “Swingtown,” which moved to the ratings graveyard known as Friday night.

CBS finished second with a 2.0 rating/6 share.

Fox ended Thursday night in first with a 2.3 rating/7 share, thanks to a flat “So You Think You Can Dance?” (2.8/9) and a special “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (1.7/6), which tied last week’s season finale of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

NBC was third with an average “Last Comic Standing” (1.9/6) and “Fear Itself” (1.3/4), ending the night with a 1.7 rating/6 share.

“Hopkins” (1.7/5) ended its run on ABC slightly above par, as ABC took fourth with a 1.3 rating/4 share.

The CW was fifth with a 0.6 rating/2 share.