Weekly Ratings: 4/19 – 4/23

Sunday Ratings: Edie's Farewell, Prison Break's Return and More

7 pm/ET
NBC's coverage of the Miss USA Pageant averaged nearly 5 million viewers over its two-hour run.

8 pm
The Amazing Race topped the hour with 10.4 million total viewers, followed by a repeat of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (7.56 mil). Fox's Sit Down, Shut Up premiered to 5.2 mil, fumbling 20 percent of lead-in The Simpsons' audience.

9 pm
An audience of 13.65 million turned up for Desperate Housewife Edie's final hurrah, a 7 percent drop from the show's last fresh outing. CBS/Hallmark's The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler placed second, averaging 9.82 mil over its two-hour run. (Watch my video Q&A with Anna Paquin here, fourth item down.) Celebrity Apprentice's double-elimination drew 8.32 mil, a three-week high.

10 pm
Brothers & Sisters topped the demos but was matched in total viewers (9.63 mil) by Irena Sendler; in fact, CBS' TV movie pulled ahead of the ABC serial by the end of the night.

Monday Ratings: Castle Looks Sharp as Horatio Takes a Siesta

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars averaged 20.28 million total viewers over its 90-minute run, up 6 percent week-to-week. A special Monday broadcast of Bones followed with an audience of 8.38 mil, a drop of 470K from its last Thursday foray. Trailing CBS sitcom repeats, an especially Awesome episode of Chuck drew 6.05 mil, dipping 170K. Gossip Girl talked to 2.36 mil, down 120 thou.

9 pm
Leading out of a Two and a Half Men repeat, Rules of Engagement (10.59 million viewers) dropped more than a mil, placing behind ABC's Surviving Suburbia (10.86 mil) at the half-hour mark. 24 clocked in with 10.28 mil, down 550K, while Heroes (6.36 mil) resumed its stumbling ways, slipping 9 percent. One Tree Hill (2.42 mil) ticked up 130K.

10 pm
With a Mentalist repeat (9.43 mil) subbing for CSI: Miami, ABC's Castle enjoyed an 11 percent surge, hitting 8.44 mil. Medium (7.36 mil), however, missed out on the opportunity, dropping 220 thou.

Tuesday Ratings: Biggest Loser Climbs, Reaper Rises

8 pm/ET
American Idol's Disco Night hustled 23.24 million total viewers, matching the audience of last week's sing-off. The Biggest Loser followed with 9.3 mil, its largest audience in six weeks and its best demo delivery since Feb. 3. A pair of According to Jims trailed CBS sitcom repeats, averaging 3.7 mil (down 17 percent week-to-week). Reaper reaped a 19-percent gain, hitting 2.45 mil.

9 pm
Dancing with the Stars' results show drew 14.47 mil, dipping 300 thou. It was followed by an NCIS repeat (12.34 mil). Fringe scared up 10.52 mil, dropping 9 percent. 90210 inched up to 2.23 mil.

10 pm
A Mentalist repeat won the hour with 12.32 mil, followed by a not-new SVU (7.13 mil). A special Tuesday try-out for ABC's The Unusuals attracted 6.3 mil, which is on par with its last Wednesday outing.

Wednesday Ratings: Top Model Better than Ted

8 pm/ET
What a feeling! Lie to Me led the pack with 7.88 million total viewers, dipping 6 percent from its last outing. It was followed by a Law & Order repeat and CBS laffer leftovers. ABC's Scrubs (4.66 mil) and Better Off Ted (4.2 mil) both dropped 12 percent week-to-week. In fact, Ted got bested in its half hour — in total viewers and demos — by Top Model, which inched up 200K to flirt with 4 mil.

9 pm
American Idol's double-elimination delivered 23.3 million viewers, slipping just a hair from last week's results show. (Side note: Did anyone else get the feeling KC hasn't sung that song since, I dunno, Dec. 31, 1979?) A Criminal Minds repeat claimed second with 9.75 mil, followed by Lost's clip show (6.64 mil) and an SVU rerun.

10 pm
It was BAU — yet not — for Criminal Minds, which bested all comers in a later time slot, drawing 13.55 mil. Lagging behind a(nother) Law & Order repeat, ABC's The Unusuals copped 4.97 mil, down about 20 percent from the freshman dramedy's average-to-date.

Thursday Ratings: Grey's Ails on an Overall Lousy Night

This Thursday, every single network show — save for one! — dropped (if not plunged) from its previous outing. Here's how the breakdown breaks down:

8 pm/ET
Survivor topped the hour with an audience of 11.38 million total viewers, down 240K week-to-week. Bones sewed up second with 8.22 mil, down 500 thou. My Name Is Earl was the night's lone gainer, inching up 200K to 5.5 mil. Lead-out Parks and Recreation, however, dropped 11 percent, to 5.24 mil. Smallville barely managed 3 mil, plunging 19 percent from its last fresh outing.

9 pm
CSI (14.45 mil, -970K) drew the biggest audience, while Grey's Anatomy (13.2 mil, down 16 percent) topped the demos. Both The Office (7.21 mil) and 30 Rock (6.35 mil) slipped 12 percent. Supernatural sank 16 percent, delivering 2.76 mil.

10 pm
Private Practice took No. 1 with 9.23 million viewers, down 12 percent. Southland scored second, freefalling 16 percent to 8 mil, while Harper's Island (7.48 mil) saw another 690 thou get snuffed.