For the second full week of the May sweeps, most syndicated strips were even with their ratings performance from the previous week, except for a few notable exceptions that saw modest growth.

For the week ended May 15, only one syndicated newsmagazine strip, Paramount’s “Entertainment Tonight,” grew week to week. “ET” grew 2 percent for the week to a 5.1 national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. “ET” was down 2 percent from last year but still had its best week since March. The No. 2 newsmagazine, King World’s “Inside Edition,” was flat for the week with a 3.3 and down 6 percent for the year. Rookie “The Insider,” which was pre-empted in a number of markets, including Los Angeles, for local “Survivor” specials, was down 7 percent for the week. NBC Universal’s “Access Hollywood” was down 7 percent for both the week and year to a 2.5, while Warner Bros.’ “Extra” dropped 4 percent for the week and 12 percent for the year to a 2.2.

Three weekly talk strips saw week-to-week growth: Paramount’s “Dr. Phil,” which was up 4 percent for the week and down 3 percent for the year to a 5.7; NBC Universal’s “Maury,” which was up 3 percent for the week and the year to a 3.0; and Paramount’s “Montel Williams,” which grew 4 percent for the week and dropped 4 percent for the year to a 2.4.

The leader of all talk strips was King World’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which was even for the week with an 8.0 and up 8 percent for the year. The only talk strip to show better year-to-year growth was Warner Bros.’ “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which grew 11 percent for the year to a 2.1, a 5 percent decline for the week.

Among court shows, Paramount’s “Judge Judy” was flat for the week with a 4.7, a 6 percent decline from last year. Paramount’s “Judge Joe Brown” was up 3 percent for the week to a 3.3, a 6 percent decline from last year. Twentieth’s “Divorce Court” was also flat for the week, but was up 4 percent year to year to a 2.7.

The top-rated off-network half-hour strip was King World’s “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which was up 3 percent for the week and 22 percent for the year to a 6.6. The No. 2 off-net half-hour strip was Sony’s “Seinfeld,” which was even for the week with a 5.6, a 3 percent decline from last year. Warner Bros.’ “Friends,” which was up 4 percent for the week with a 5.3, was down 4 percent for the year.

The top weekly off-net hour was once again King World’s rookie “CSI,” which was up 2 percent for the week with a 5.4.The top weekly first-run hour was the weekend edition of “ET,” which hit a six-week high with a 3.1. “ET” weekend was up 11 percent for the week and even for the year.