Weekly Ratings: 10/26 – 10/31

Sunday Ratings: Housewives Thankful for the Memories

This Sunday... in a world where Fox's coverage of World Series Game 4 averaged more than 15 million total viewers....

8 pm/ET
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition surged 13 percent to nail down and cement second place with 12.15 million viewers. The Amazing Race followed with 9.7 mil, while the CW's Valentine (846,000) trailed NBC's 40-Year-Old Virgin broadcast.

9 pm
The flashback-filled Housewives was the only program to thrust itself past baseball in viewers as well as in the demos, delivering its second-largest audience of this fall television season — 15.62 million (up 320 thou week-to-week). Cold Case was a cool third with a hair under 12 mil. The CW's Easy Money saw its numbers eradicated by another 55K, to hit 667,000.

10 pm
Brothers & Sisters held steady and placed second with 10.1 mil. The Unit (biff!)followed with a typical 9.1 mil.

Monday Ratings: Enemy Grows Even More Anemic

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars averaged 18.8 million total viewers over its 90-minute run, inching up 230K week-to-week. Placing fourth behind CBS comedy repeats and World Series coverage, Chuck dipped 220 thou, to 6.48 mil. Gossip Girl held steady at 3.02 mil.

9 pm
Samantha Who? gained 450K to place second (behind baseball) during the 9:30 half hour. A repeat of the Gary Unmarried pilot delivered 8.6 million viewers, well shy of Worst Week's most recent tally, but an increase of 750 thou over Gary's last (and fresh) Wednesday outing. Make of that what you will.

Heroes dipped 300K to 8.15 mil, but topped the demos once DWTS bowed out. Tree Hill toppled 14 percent, to 3.14 mil.

10 pm
Trailing a CSI: Miami repeat, Boston Legal drew 9.1 million viewers (up 100 thou), while My Own Worst Enemy (5.25 mil) dropped another 420K, and is now down 28 percent from its debut.

Tuesday Ratings: The Mentalist "Sees" Its Largest Audience Yet

8 pm/ET
NCIS won the hour with 17.08 million total viewers on par with last week's numbers. House placed second with 13.15 mil (up 350K), and topped the demos. The Pumpkin was a little less great for Charlie Brown this year, as the Peanuts special dipped a mil to 10.4 mil. (And I'm a Grinch for even pointing that out.) Behind Biggest Loser (eight mil, up 730 thou), 90210 (3.2 mil) saw a small gain over its last, ages-ago fresh episode.

9 pm
Dancing with the Stars tacked on another mil, to deliver 17 million viewers. The Mentalist was close behind with its best numbers yet - 16.1 mil — and matched DWTS in demos. Privileged (2.16 mil) recovered from last week's plunge with a 660K rebound.

10 pm
Without a Trace gained 540 thou to win the hour with 12.14 million viewers. SVU dipped a bit to claim second with 9.2 mil. Eli Stone, which is hoping against all hope for a back-9 pick-up, dropped 830K, to 7.67 mil.

Wednesday Ratings: Daisies Gets Push from Obamamercial

This Wednesday, as Fox's World Series Finale coverage averaged north of 16 million total viewers....

8 pm/ET
Across CBS, Fox and NBC, a total of 26.4 million people tuned in for White House hopeful Barack Obama's paid program. Opposite that, fence-sitter Pushing Daisies (6.64 mil) seized the chance to gain 17 percent, while Top Model (3.93 mil) slipped 10 percent. At 8:30, Old Christine delivered 7.64 mil, down 360K.

9 pm
Criminal Minds placed second (behind baseball) with 13.8 million viewers, down 918 thou week-to-week. Trailing Deal or No Deal, Private Practice came in at No. 4, with 7.73 mil. The CW's Stylista (1.87 mil) said "sew" long to 24 percent of its premiere audience.

10 pm
CSI: NY this week claimed the top spot with 13.6 million. It was followed by Dirty Sexy Money (6.08 mil, inching up four percent) and NBC's Fridays-bound Lipstick Jungle (4.9 mil, surging 17 percent).

Thursday Ratings: 30 Rocks Hard with its Biggest Audience Ever

8 pm/ET
Survivor (13.15 million total viewers) and Betty (8.55 mil) put up typical numbers to claim the top two spots. While NBC's Earl (6.17 mil) dipped a bit, lead-out Kath & Kim (5.46 mil) reversed its downward trend by gaining 500K. Smallville held steady at 4.24 mil.

9 pm
CSI led the hour with 18.64 mil (down 553 thou) but this week ceded command of the demos to Grey's Anatomy (which at 15.05 mil was up six percent). Now here's where things get serious, yet funny. The Office (9.32 mil) surged 20 percent week-to-week, setting up 30 Rock for its largest audience ever — 8.53 mil. That represents a 16 percent bump over the Rock's previous season opener, and a 52 percent improvement on its last episode. Well-played, Garkle! Supernatural was up nine percent, to 3.53 mil.

10 pm
Eleventh Hour (11.47 mil) dipped six percent, but still easily bested ER (9.12 mil) and Life on Mars (8.4 mil, adding 349K week-to-week).

Friday Ratings: Numbers Really Add Up with a Stronger Lead-In

Which Friday shows got tricked, and which received treats? Let's assess the goodie bags.

8 pm/ET
Ghost Whisperer won the hour this week with 9.4 million total viewers, a 537K dip from last week's season high. (See our GW celeblog for insight on You Know, That Rumor.) Halloween really scared away the reality fans, with Deal or No Deal (five mil), 5th Grader (4.6 mil) and Wife Swap (3.6 mil) all posting percentage drops in the double digits. Similarly, the CW's family friendly Chris (1.26 mil) and The Game (1.24 mil) each sank 30 percent.

9 pm
CBS looked Ex-tremely smart, as an NCIS repeat not only doubled The Ex List's last audience, but also topped the hour in viewers, with 11.2 million. Lyrics (4.56 mil) and Supernanny (4.2 mil) both were down 17 percent, while NBC's Crusoe (4.17 mil) saw 30 percent of its audience wash away.

10 pm
Thanks to the stronger lead-in, Numbers delivered 10.62 mil, a 17 percent improvement upon last week's season high. Trailing 20/20 (6.9 mil), newly relocated Lipstick Jungle (3.18 mil) kissed off 35 percent of its final Wednesday audience.