Weekly Ratings: 11/9 – 11/14

Monday Ratings: Is Hot Gossip Cooling Off?

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars stepped up seven percent week-to-week, to average 18.6 million total viewers over its 90-minute run. Once again besting DWTS in the demos was CBS' Big Bang Theory, which finally cracked the 10 million ceiling. In turn, lead-out How I Met Your Mother inched up 150K to deliver 9.7 mil. Chuck placed third with 6.23 mil (up a hair over its last outing), followed by Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (5.19 mil). Gossip Girl cooled off by another 150 thou, grinding against what I believe to be a season low of three mil.

9 pm
Two and a Half Men won the front half of the hour, with 14.58 million viewers; Samantha Who? then climbed on top with 11.03 mil. Worst Week had a typical week, delivering 9.62 mil. Heroes tumbled another 330K — to hit a new series low of 7.83 mil — while Prison Break (5.4 mil) gained 175 thou. Tree Hill held steady at 3.01 mil (aka juuuuust a bit higher than Gossip Girl).

10 pm
CSI: Miami's 150th episode drew an audience of 13.67 million and dominated the demos. Boston Legal placed second with 8.8 mil. My Own Worst Enemy plunged another mil to hit 4.25 mil, representing a 42 percent deterioration of its premiere audience.

Tuesday Ratings: NCIS Collars its Biggest Audience Ever

8 pm/ET
NCIS was the evening's most-watched program, delivering 18.79 million total viewers — a 10 percent increase over its last (impressive) outing, and the series' largest audience ever. That deserves its own paragraph, frankly. House won the demos, but placed second with 12.88 mil (dipping 135K). Trailing the DWTS recap (10.4 mil) and Biggest Loser (8 mil), 90210 netted 2.73 mil, a week-to-week drop of 290K.

9 pm
The Mentalist enjoyed a gain of 350 thou to achieve another series high, 16.46 million viewers. That gave the freshman drama a "W" in total audience and demos, besting Dancing with the Stars' results show (16.39 mil) on both counts. Fringe placed third with 8.88 mil (down 220K from its last fresh eppy), while People's Choice Award nominee Privileged slipped to 1.87 mil.

10 pm
Without a Trace was No. 1 in viewers (12.2 million), while SVU (9.42 mil) led the demos. Eli Stone delivered 7.44 mil, dipping 230K from its last outing and particularly crippled by an erosion of more than two million heads over its hour run.

Wednesday Ratings: CMA Awards, Bones Make Beautiful Music

This Wednesday, as ABC's broadcast of the CMA Awards averaged 15.87 million total viewers, making it the night's most-watched program across all time parts:

8 pm/ET
Bones placed second with a season-high 10.87 million viewers, an increase of 760 thousand week-to-week. In third, both Old Christine (6.88 mil, +300K) and Gary Unmarried (6.7 mil, +260K) saw gains. Knight Rider (5.34 mil) rebounded from last week's skid with a 200-thou uptick, while Top Model (3.7 mil) dipped 240K.

9 pm
Criminal Minds claimed the No. 2 spot with 14.8 million viewers, up 510K. Trailing a House repeat, Life matched last Wednesday's audience (5.83 mil). The CW's Stylista (1.73 mil) unraveled to the tune of 13 percent.

10 pm
The 99th episode of CSI: NY delivered 11.62 million viewers, slipping 130 thou. At 7.9 mil, Law & Order was up a hair over its disappointing season opener.

Thursday Ratings: ER Admits Big Audience by Going Greene

8 pm/ET
Survivor scored a seven percent week-to-week increase to top the hour with 13 million total viewers. With an audience of 9.2 million, Ugly Betty, too, was up (250K). NBC's Earl flirted with seven mil (up 370 thou), but lead-out Kath & Kim (five mil) saw its audience clipped by a half mil. Behind Kitchen Nightmares, Smallville dipped a hair to 4.38 mil, but the CW's numbers for the night are tainted by a New York City-area/Jets preemption.

9 pm
CSI surged 830K to come out to yet again claim No. 1 with nearly 19 million viewers. Grey's (15.6 mil) topped the demos. The Office slipped to a new season low of 8.18 mil, and 30 Rock (7.5 mil) saw 490,000 Friends go away. Supernatural tacked on 710 thou to hit 3.91 mil. (But again, J-E-T-S.)

10 pm
Eleventh Hour gained 700K to dominate with 11.7 million viewers, perhaps popping its "bubble" status once and for all. ER's fab flashback episode delivered a 13 percent bump, to 9.8 mil — the long-running series' largest audience in more than a year. Life on Mars held steady at 8.94 mil.

Friday Ratings: Ghost Whisperer Speaks to Another Season High

8 pm/ET
Ghost Whisperer saw 11.67 million total viewers (up six percent week-to-week) tune in for the big twist regarding Melinda's husband, Jim. That's good for yet another new season's best. (The big question, of course, is how many return next Friday.) Trailing 5th Grader (5.45 mil) and Deal or No Deal (5.25 mil), Supernanny delivered 4.5 mil, on par with the usual Wife Swap. The CW's Chris and The Game did what they usually do - 1.83 mil and 1.7 mil, respectively.

9 pm
The Price Is Right's salute to the troops ("I bid $1.49 million on that cruise missile!") brought in 7.3 million viewers, a far cry from what the NCIS repeats have been doing in the time slot. Debuting to 4.86 mil, Super-Manny built on his distaff counterpart's numbers. Behind Lyrics (5.1 mil), NBC's Crusoe matched last week's 4.17 mil.

10 pm
With a weaker lead-in, Numbers tumbled 17 percent, to 9.26 mil. A Barbara Walters special did eight mil (on par with a typical 20/20), while the now-cancelled Lipstick Jungle (3.58 mil) turned a few extra heads.