CBS, NBC duke it out on a tough Tuesday

By Cynthia Littleton

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – CBS, NBC and Fox fought
it out for the primetime bragging rights on another topsy turvy
Tuesday.

CBS got out of the gate with the night’s most-watched show,
the 8 p.m. military drama “NCIS,” which drew 17.6 million
viewers and a 4.2 rating/11 share in the adults 18-49
demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen
Media Research. From 9-11 p.m., a two-hour dose of “The Amazing
Race” (10.7 million, 4.5/12) kept the network competitive in
the 18-49 derby.

NBC was strong at 9 p.m. with rookie comedy “My Name Is
Earl” (11.7 million, 5.2/13) and 10 p.m. crime veteran “Law &
Order: SVU” (15.5 million, 5.1/13), with a big dip in between
for “The Office” (7.7 million, 3.8/9). But Fox scored the
highest adults 18-49 number of the night with 9 p.m. drama
“House” (14 million, 5.3/13), which improved significantly on
its 8 p.m. “Bones” (6.9 million, 2.8/7) lead-in.

ABC was soft at 9 p.m. with “Commander in Chief” (14.6
million, 3.7/9) hitting its lowest 18-49 ebb since its
premiere, though it still grew markedly from its 8:30 p.m.
“Rodney” (7.5 million, 2.6/7) lead-in.

WB Network was in its usual Tuesday zone with “Gilmore
Girls” (5.7 million, 2.5/7), but 9 p.m. newcomer “Supernatural”
(4.3 million, 1.7/4) slipped from its recent averages. UPN
wasn’t much of a factor with its 8 p.m. repeat of “America’s
Next Top Model” (2.5 million, 1.1/3) and 9 p.m. “Salute to
Patti LaBelle” special (3.3 million, 1.3/3).

When all was said and done, CBS finished out at No. 1 in
viewers (13 million) followed by NBC (11.8 million). CBS was
also a close second to NBC in the demo derby (NBC’s 4.5/12 to

CBS’ 4.4/11).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter