'CSI' slips without Petersen; Fox breaks into Thursday
CBS got its first glimpse of "CSI" ratings without William Petersen, while an ABC drama hit a season high and Fox launched a new drama attack that could be a Thursday night game-changer.
The first “CSI” (17.5 million, 4.9/12) since Petersen’s exit dropped 26% in the adult demo from last week’s big farewell episode. “CSI” was down 11% from the show’s season average. A show landing about that much under par after losing its lead character is not unexpected. If the show continues to decline in the coming weeks, however...
The week-to-week "CSI" drop hurt 10 p.m.’s “Eleventh Hour” (12.3 million, 2.9/8), falling 15% to third place in the slot. An “CSI” repeat served as the “CSI” lead-in. CBS was in second place for the evening, though the network still led among total viewers.
CBS’ slippage benefited ABC, which won the night despite “Ugly Betty” (7.5 million, 2.4/7) performing modest at 8 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy” (14.3 million, 5.6/14) dominated the 9 p.m. hour and enjoyed its best rating in nine weeks. Lead-out “Private Practice” (9.6 million, 3.6/10) improved just as much as “Grey’s” -- up 9% and winning 10 p.m. with a season-high performance (pairing these shows together is continuing to look like a good idea).
Although Fox came in fourth place overall, the network premiered “Bones” (10 million, 2.9/8) in its new night and time and won the 8 p.m. hour. This is the first time Fox has won this time period with a scripted show in more than three years. Though CBS is expected to top this slot when “Survivor” returns, even a reliable second or third-place finish for “Bones” gives Fox a toe-hold on what’s historically been a tough night for the network.
Switching “Bones” to a more competitive night was not without cost, however. “Bones” was down 9% from its Wednesday average. And throwing a special second airing of “Bones” (7.5 million, 2.5/6) into the 9 p.m. scrum didn’t work. Airing against three popular scripted competitors, “Bones” placed fourth. Fox plans to put “Hell’s Kitchen” in this period next week, which should serve as more effective counter-programming.
NBC came in third with “My Name Is Earl” (6.5 million, 2.6/8), “Kath & Kim” (4.9 million, 2.2/6),“The Office” (8.7 million, 4.6/11) and “30 Rock” (6.4 million, 3.2/8). At 10 p.m., “ER” (7.7 million, 3.1/8) was up 15% this week. The CW’s “Smallville” (3.9 million, 1.6/4) and “Supernatural” (3.0 million 1.3/3) dipped marginally from last week.
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