Weekly Ratings: 10/12 – 10/17

Sunday Ratings: Football Tackles the Sunday Night Demos

7 pm/ET
The CW's In Harm's Way surged eight percent from its premiere to deliver 729,000 total viewers.

8 pm
Extreme Makeover eked out a W, scoring 11.26 million viewers to the first hour of Sunday Night Football's 11.16 mil. The onset of Fox's baseball coverage (9.5 mil) edged out Amazing Race (9.17 mil), while Episode 2 of the CW's Valentine (1.01 mil) felt only slightly less love than its debut. NBC's coverage of the Patriots-Chargers game averaged 11.2 mil through 11 pm, and topped everyone except the Housewives in the demos. Baseball averaged 8.5 mil over its first two hours.

9 pm
Desperate Housewives dominated with 15.3 million, more or less on par with a week ago. Cold Case gained 200K to place third with 10.9 mil. The CW's Easy Money (753,000) saw 30 percent of its premiere audience cash out.

10 pm
Football sneaked past Brothers & Sisters (10.1 mil), which was down 500 thou. The Unit (9.12 mil) dropped 14 percent.

Monday Ratings: TV's Worst Night Delivers Better Numbers
Is TV's best night also now its Worst? OK, I'm having too much funny with that confluence of show names. On with the ratings!

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars this week averaged 17.68 million total viewers, dipping six percent week-to-week. CBS' comedy combo of Big Bang (9.36 mil, up a hair) and the not-quite-as-funny-as-it-used-to-be Mother (9.14 mil, up 200K) placed second — and nipped at Dancing's heels in the demos. Trailing the first hour of Fox's baseball coverage, Chuck did six mil, showing a slight increase, while Gossip Girl slipped 200 thou, to 3.34 mil.

9 pm
CBS' Men topped DWTS in the demos, and delivered 14.57 million viewers, a 630 thou increase. Come 9:30, Samantha Who? seized the lead, returning to an audience of 11.7 mil (up six percent from its last original episode). That bested the Eye's Worst Week, which at 9.78 mil was actually up 11 percent. Heroes (8.6 mil) rebounded from its slide with a 420K bump, while Tree Hill held steady at 3.43 mil.

10 pm
Despite Worst Week's betterment, CSI: Miami still seems handicapped, dropping 620K (to 13 million). Similarly, losing Dancing as a lead-in cost Boston Legal (8.18 mil) 12 percent of its audience. NBC's My Own Worst Enemy premiered to 7.3 million viewers, a 1.5 mil improvement on Life's last Monday audience. (And it bested Boston in the demos).

Tuesday Ratings: NCIS Nets New High, Eli Keeps the Faith

8 pm/ET
NCIS continued its streak as the night's most-watched program, delivering 17.86 million total viewers — a 14 percent week-to-week surge and its biggest audience of the season-to-date. (Thanks, Papa Walton! And g'night, John-Boy!) House inched up 160K, to 12.82 mil, followed by Biggest Loser (which averaged a typical 7.45 mil).

9 pm
The Mentalist again bested Dancing with the Stars' results show, 14.86 mil to 14.37 mil. Fringe (9.53 mil) placed third, dropping 500K from its last outing, but topped the hour in demos.

10 pm
Without a Trace toppled some 13 percent yet still led the pack with 10.99 million viewers. SVU was No. 1 in demos, but slipped 800 thou to 9.4 mil. ABC's Eli Stone was welcomed back by an audience of 8.82 mil, a 44 percent increase over its Season 1 finale.

Wednesday Ratings: Daisies Blooms (a Bit) as Bones Gets a Bye

8 pm/ET
With Bones benched by baseball, this Wednesday's 8 o'clock contest offered a three-horse race, as CBS' increasingly strong sitcombo of Old Christine (7.74 million total viewers) and Gary Unmarried (7.71 million) found itself in a dead heat with the first hour of Fox's NLCS Game 5 coverage (7.736 mil). Knight Rider, up 100K week-to-week, placed a very close third, with 7.66 mil. Pushing Daisies finally enjoyed an upward tick, gaining 13 percent to hit 6.3 mil. A Top Model clip show did 3.19 mil.

9 pm
Come 9 pm, the Big 3's coverage of the final presidential debate drew 28.9 million viewers, a drop of 10 mil from the last face-off (which also was covered by Fox). Joe the Plumber, sources tell me exclusively, was busy watching the Phillies pound the Dodgers.

Thursday Ratings: CBS Sweeps Thursday, Hour By Hour

8 pm/ET
Survivor topped the hour with 12.87 million total viewers (down 400K week-to-week). Ugly Betty placed second with 8.2 mil, dipping 230 thou, followed by NBC's combo of Earl (6.5 mil, down eight percent) and Kath & Kim (six mil, plunging 19 percent from its premiere). Smallville, at 4.17 mil (up a hair), bested Hole in the Wall.

9 pm
CSI dropped 18 percent from its season premiere but still lorded over Grey's in total viewers (18.8 million to 14.6). This week, however, Grey's placed No. 1 in the demos. NBC's The Office (8.07 mil) dropped a mil, while Weekend Update Thursday (8.6 mil) declined 18 percent from its debut. Supernatural slipped a hair, to 3.06 mil.

10 pm
Versus last week's dead heat, CBS' Eleventh Hour (12 mil, up 440K) this time around passed ABC's Life on Mars (8.47 mil, plunging 26 percent from its premiere). ER (8.8. mil) said goodbye to not just Abby (sniff!) but also 450,000 of last week's viewers.

Friday Ratings: Life (All Together Now…) Shows Some Life

8 pm/ET
Ghost Whisperer topped the hour with 8.87 million total viewers, dipping just eight percent from last week. The first hour of NBC's Crusoe placed second with 6.79 mil. Wife Swap, at just under five mil, gained 16 percent week-to-week. Behind a 5th Grader repeat, the CW's Chris (1.79 mil) inched up a bit, while The Game (1.8 mil) dipped 90K.

9 pm
The Ex List (6.35 million) rebounded with an 11 percent gain and topped the demos, but was bested in total viewers by the second hour of Crusoe. Supernanny (5.34 mil) added 340 thou.

10 pm
Numbers (8.6 mil) netted a seven percent bump, and was followed by 20/20 (6.87 mil). NBC's Life surged 21 percent to flirt with six mil.