Weekly Ratings: 3/8 – 3/13

Sunday Ratings: The Unit Returns with a Bang

7 pm/ET
60 Minutes topped the hour with an audience of 13.13 million total viewers, down a mil week-to-week. In third behind Funniest Videos, Saturday Night Live's game-show parodies round-up delivered 3.35 mil. Fox's Hole in the Wall squeezed in 2.6 mil.

8 pm
The Amazing Race finished first with 10.22 million viewers, sprinting past Extreme Makeover (which at 9.45 mil was down 14 percent). An audience of 6 mil found themselves sold on SNL's best-of commercials special.

9 pm
Desperate Housewives was the night's most watched program, with 13.5 million viewers. Cold Case placed second in the hour with 12.56 mil (up 16 percent from its last fresh outing). Celebrity Apprentice plunged 14 percent from its premiere, to 7.6 mil.

10 pm
Brothers & Sisters came out on top with 10.5 million viewers (down 12 percent from its overhyped "movie event"), but the big story was CBS' big Unit. Despite herky-jerky scheduling, the military drama returned from a three-week furlough to target 9.43 mil viewers, a gain of 13 percent.

Monday Ratings: Dancing Stars Tango with Biggest Premiere Ever

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars averaged 22.5 million total viewers, a 6 percent increase over the competition's previous opener and its biggest premiere ever. That led even the hearty House (12.13 mil) to tumble 17 percent. Similarly, CBS' Big Bang Theory (9.46 mil) dropped 13 percent, while lead-out How I Met Your Mother (8.5 mil) sank 23 percent. Chuck slipped 14 percent to hit a new all-time low of 5.7 mil.

9 pm
Opposite the second hour of DWTS, CBS' Two and a Half Men (13.28 mil) and Rules of Engagement (10.4 mil) each dropped 14 percent. 24 was one of the night's rare exceptions, gaining 250K to hit 11.35 mil. Heroes, though, shed 370 thou, delivering just 6.63 mil.

10 pm
With those Dancing fools out of the way, CSI: Miami sizzled with 14.19 million viewers, an increase of 820K week-to-week. ABC's Castle premiered to a solid 11.6 mil, yet lost more than two million viewers over its run. Medium dipped 230K to 7.05 mil.

Tuesday Ratings: SVU Orders Up a Season High

8 pm/ET
American Idol's Top 13 sing-off averaged 25.24 million total viewers over its two-hour run, a gain of a mil week-to-week. Placing second was an NCIS repeat (13.33 mil). The Biggest Loser packed on 300K to hit 9.32 mil. Reaper (2.17 mil) dropped 8 percent from its sophomore opener.

9 pm
Trailing Idol, a repeat of The Mentalist managed 14.25 million viewers (up 12 percent from the CBS procedural's previous "encore performance").

10 pm
Opposite a warmed-over Without a Trace, Law & Order: SVU topped the hour with its biggest audience of the season, 11.04 million viewers (up 17 percent week-to-week).

Wednesday Ratings: Fox Tells a Bigger Lie in Earlier Time Slot

8 pm/ET
Fox's Lie to Me wore its new time slot well, topping the hour with 11.12 million total viewers — a 9 percent increase over its most recent, après-Idol audience. CBS' sitcombo placed second, with both Old Christine (7.63 mil, +310K) and Gary Unmarried (7.71 mil, +450K) seeing gains. Top Model was looking pretty in third (!) place, surging 15 percent from its premiere to 4.47 mil. NBC's Chopping Block barely bested Scrubs repeats with an audience of under 4 mil — the Peacock's lowest-rated premiere of the season.

9 pm
American Idol unveiled its "Judges' Save" twist to 24.9 million viewers, an increase of 11 percent from last Wednesday's results show (yet down 6 percent year-over-year). Criminal Minds came in second with 14 mil. Life, at 5.3 mil, was up 430 thou. Lost returns next week!

10 pm
CSI: NY dominated with 13.52 million viewers, up 820K week-to-week. Law & Order followed with 7.6 mil (up 440K). Life on Mars continued to die on the vine, dropping 19 percent to 4.58 mil.

Thursday Ratings: Did Clooney Make ER's Numbers Palpitate?

8 pm/ET
Survivor gained 880K from last week's Idol-ized outing to top the hour with 12.89 million total viewers. Bones placed second with a typical 9.55 mil, followed by Ugly Betty (7.2 mil, up 830K). Smallville returned to an audience of 3.72 mil, down 150K from its last fresh outing. But hey, it nearly tied Kath & Kim (4 mil) for the No. 4 spot, come 8:30.

9 pm
CSI plunged 18 percent week-to-week, delivering an audience of 16.96 mil. Grey's Anatomy was No. 2 with 13.54 million viewers (a 12 percent drop from its last fresh outing), but of course topped the demos. Trailing Hell's Kitchen (7.777 mil), both NBC's The Office (7.5 mil) and 30 Rock (6.4 mil) fell 13 percent. Supernatural returned to an audience of 2.84 mil, down 600 thou from its last new entry.

10 pm
Eleventh Hour held onto the top spot with 11.8 million viewers, dipping 370K week-to-week. A cavalcade of returning faves helped ER surge 22 percent to hit 10.7 mil, and place No. 1 in the demos. Did it dawn on anyone else that Seattle plays home to both McDreamy and the McDreamyER Doug Ross? Kinda makes up for all the rain, doesn't it, ladies? Private Practice came in third with 9.07 mil, plummeting 20 percent.

Friday Ratings: Cameron and Echo Get Lucky on Friday the 13th

8 pm/ET
Ghost Whisperer was the night's most watched program, matching last week's 11.11 million total viewers. Howie Do It (4.32 mil) edged out Wife Swap to claim the No. 2 spot. After a three-week wane, Terminator showed some life, surging 18 percent to hit 3.53 mil.

9 pm
Flashpoint topped the hour with 9.43 mil, dipping 400K week-to-week. Trailing Supernanny (4.73 mil), Friday Night Lights (4.4 mil) tackled a 15-percent larger audience this week. Nipping at Coach Taylor's hopelessly romantic heels, Dollhouse's Echo "saw" a healthy 22 percent jump, engaging with an audience of 4.33 mil.

10 pm
Numbers nabbed the No. 1 spot with 10.05 million viewers. (How saucy was that Gina Gershon?) It was followed by 20/20 (6.53 mil) and Dateline (5.33 mil).