Viewers Looking for Laughs Lift CBS to Monday Win
October 21, 2008 1:15 PM
CBS’ comedies rolled on to carry the network to its fifth consecutive Monday win in adults, while “CSI: Miami” and NBC’s “Heroes” bottomed out with their lowest original Monday ratings to date.

“Two and a Half Men” pulled down a 5.1 rating/12 share in the adults 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data, making it the highest-rated show of the night.
“Men” also ended the night with 14.6 million viewers.
All of CBS’ comedies, including “The Big Bang Theory” (3.5/9, 9.3 million), “How I Met Your Mother” (3.9/10, 9.4 million) and “Worst Week” (3.2/7, 9.9 million), held around their average.
“CSI: Miami” (3.8/10, 13.2 million) declined 3% week-to-week to its lowest original rating, excluding special Sunday showings. This marks the fifth consecutive week “Miami” has slid.
CBS captured the night in adults 18-49 with a 3.9/10.
Third-place NBC, with a 2.9/7, saw “Heroes” (3.9/9) drop further, declining 9% to its lowest original rating ever.
The second week of “My Own Worst Enemy” (2.5/6) dropped 17% from its premiere, while “Chuck” held steady with a 2.5/6.
“Dancing With the Stars” (4.1/10) improved a tenth of a ratings point from last week. “Samantha Who?” (3.0/7) stayed flat from its premiere a week ago, while “Boston Legal” (2.3/6) crept up by 10%.
ABC placed second with a 3.3/8.
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2.1/5) dipped 9% from its last telecast on Oct. 6, while “Prison Break” (2.3/5) improved a tenth of a ratings point.
“Terminator” stumbled in the show’s men 18-34 core demo by 30% from its last aired episode, scoring a 1.6/5.
Fox took fourth with a 2.2/5.
“One Tree Hill” (1.9/4) posted some impressive numbers for a show in its sixth season, matching its series high in adults 18-34 with a 3.0/8.
“Hill” also produced a 4.4/10 in women 18-34, The CW’s target demographic; that was the series’ second highest score in that demo.
“Gossip Girl” (1.4/4), on the other hand, declined 17% in adults 18-34 week-to-week with a 2.0/6. The show dipped the same amount in women 18-34 with a 2.9/8.
The decline is curious considering the similar path for “Hill” and “Girl” have been on, and The CW is asking Nielsen to review the numbers for any errors.
