Real world runs wild in ratings
'Dog,' 'Meet' help Peacock top nets
NBC topped the Aug. 5-11 frame in both adults 18-49 and total viewers, according to Nielsen, led by alternative/reality skeins like "Dog Eat Dog" and "Meet My Folks" as well as its omnipresent "Law & Order" franchise.
Overall, the week's top four programs in adults 18-49 were reality shows, led by No. 1 "American Idol" (6.2/17). But in total viewers, newsmags made a strong showing, claiming four of the week's top 10 spots, led by "60 Minutes" at No. 3 (12.19 million).
CBS drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was the most-watched series for a fifth straight week (14.14m).
NBC's victory in adults 18-49 -- its 18th in 20 weeks -- was fueled by first-place finishes on Monday, Friday and Sunday. Monday's "Dog Eat Dog" hit new highs across the board, posting a 5.8/16 in adults 18-49, a 6.3/18 in adults 18-34 and drawing 12.65 million viewers overall.
Two editions of Peacock newsmag "Dateline" landed among the week's 10 most-watched shows, joining the Eye's "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours."
Fox won in adults 18-34 for an eighth straight week, its longest stretch since 1999, with Tuesday's "American Idol" at No. 1 (7.2/21). Wednesday's half-hour seg hit a new high in adults 18-49 (5.2/14), leading the net to one of its three nightly wins in the demo.
CBS, third in 18-49, saw "Big Brother 3" cool a bit from the previous week, but series continues to perform better than last summer's edition.
ABC remained in fourth place in adults 18-49, but pulled to within a tick of CBS thanks to the return of "Monday Night Football." A preseason contest, the first pairing announcers Al Michaels and John Madden, won the night in all male demos for the net.
USA, led by hit series "Dead Zone" and "Monk," was the top-rated basic cable network for the week in adults 18-49 (1.1 rating). Lifetime drew the largest primetime aud overall (2.46m).
Monday
NBC remained on top in 18-49 on Aug. 12, although each of its reality skeins fell week-to-week. "Dog Eat Dog" (5.2/14) and "Meet My Folks" (4.8/13) led the way. CBS won five of six half-hours in total viewers.
ESPN drew 5.68 million viewers for its NFL preseason special game (Miami-Tampa Bay), topping the 5.15 million TNN averaged for its two hours of wrestling on the night.
Sunday
It was another weak Sunday for the broadcast nets, which amassed a mere 25 share in adults 18-49 in the 9 o'clock half-hour. NBC edged Fox for the night thanks to a winning perf at 10 from "Crime & Punishment" (3.2/9).
In its second week, E!'s "Anna Nicole Show" declined by a respectable 18% in overall aud (to 3.38m) and remained No. 1 in its 10 p.m. half-hour in adults 18-34 (2.8/8). HBO's "Sex and the City" (7.3m) was easily the night's top show in adults 18-49 (3.9/11) and 18-34 (4.4/14).
Saturday
Football preemptions on local stations made for low network clearances on the night, which saw Fox win in adults 18-49 and CBS in total viewers.
The Eye's "Big Brother 3" topped the 8 p.m. hour, drawing its largest Saturday aud this summer (6.44m).
Friday
With "Law & Order: SVU" as the No. 1 show of the night (9.11m, 2.7/9), NBC rolled. ABC, which had won the previous four Fridays in 18-49, was stymied by a low score at 9 for the "Family Television Awards" (0.8/3).
In its fifth week, USA drama "Monk" set new highs in both adults 18-49 (1.9/7) and 18-34 (1.6/7), topping ABC and CBS in the 10 p.m. hour.
Thursday
CBS won for a fifth straight Thursday in adults 18-49, led by winning perfs from "CSI" (4.7/15) and "Big Brother 3" (3.7/14). Net also won easily in total viewers.
NBC's "Rerun Show" retained just 85% of its repeat "Will & Grace" 18-49 lead-in (3.4/11 vs. 4.0/13) after building upon it by 4% a week earlier. At 10, though, "ER" was on top (3.2/10) with its best perf since June 20.
UPN's "WWE Smackdown" fell to its lowest scores ever for a non-special edition (3.97m, 1.3/4 in A18-49) but the show was preempted in both New York (for football) and Los Angeles (for baseball).
Wednesday
Fox won every half-hour in adults 18-49, with "American Idol" leading at 9:30 across the board. "Idol's" teens score (5.9/22) was the highest on any night this summer for the show and the top-rated program of the week.
Also doing well for Fox was a second helping of "30 Seconds to Fame" at 8:30, which led in key demos and total viewers (7.89m).
Tuesday
There was no finale ratings boost for ABC's "The Mole 2" (7.40m, 3.5/10), which placed second to "American Idol" at 9. Reality hour did deliver the highest 18-34 entertainment score for ABC in nine months (3.9/11).
At 10, ABC's four-week miniseries "Widows" got off to a weak third-place start (5.16m, 1.8/5 in A18-49).
Monday
Despite facing football on Aug. 5, NBC's reality trio delivered the highest 18-49 rating for any night of non-sports programming since May (5.1/15).
