'CSI,' 'Raymond' Spur CBS Ratings Win

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday September 24, 2003 11:55 AM EDT

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In the summer ratings race, NBC was once again No. 1 with the under-50 crowd -- but CBS was the most-watched network overall during the warm-weather months, according to Nielsen Media Research.

CBS averaged nearly 8.3 million viewers over the summer and 11.1 million viewers for the entire 52-week broadcast year, reports Reuters. NBC, home to hits like "Friends" and "Law & Order," was No. 2 in total viewers, averaging 7.8 million for the summer and 10.4 million for the year. ABC and FOX, ranked third and fourth, respectively.

In terms of overall summer viewership, reruns of scripted shows proved more popular than the spate of reality fare that swept prime time.

Not counting two games of ABC's "Monday Night Football" and the August debuts of NBC's "Whoopi" and "Happy Family," the 10 most-watched shows of the summer were (in order), according to Nielsen Media Research: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Law & Order," "Without a Trace," "CSI: Miami," "60 Minutes," "King of Queens" and two "Law & Order" spin-offs ("Criminal Intent" and "Special Victims Unit").

As for what bodes for the new season, which kicked off this past Monday, preliminary Nielsen numbers show strong starts for CBS's new Charlie Sheen sitcom, "Two and a Half Men," which attracted 18.1 million viewers, and the NBC soap "Las Vegas," which drew an average of 12.6 million -- well above last fall's "Crossing Jordan."

Last week, CBS's "Survivor: Pearl Islands" pulled in a strong 21.5 million people, though that was down from 2002's Thailand version. Over on FOX, the Friday lineup fell flat, with "Wanda at Large," "Luis" and "Boston Public" in fourth place, averaging 4.8 million viewers.

The Top 10 shows for the week of Sept. 15-21 were as follows:

1. "Survivor: Pearl Islands," CBS, 21.5 million viewers
2. "NFL Monday Night Football: Dallas vs. N.Y. Giants," ABC, 18.3 million
3. "55th Annual Emmy Awards," FOX, 17.9 million
4. "NFL Monday Showcase," ABC, 14.5 million
5. "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 14.4 million
6. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 14.1 million
7. "A Life of Laughter: John Ritter," ABC, 14 million
8. "Friends," NBC, 12.9 million
9. "Law & Order," NBC, 12.2 million
10. "CSI: Miami," CBS, 11.6 million