CBS dramas, Fox's '24' shine Tuesday

Morning Ratings Flash - Rick Kissell

By RICK KISSELL

CBS, with "The Guardian" grabbing its best numbers since September and "Judging Amy" moving ahead of "NYPD Blue," has posted its first Tuesday victory of the season in adults 25-54, while Fox remained on top in adults 18-49 behind "24," according to preliminary nationals from Nielsen. Both nets' 9 p.m. dramas seemed to take advantage of the WB's "Smallville" airing in repeat.

The Eye net, which also scored a routine victory in total viewers, saw solid numbers for "JAG" (3.6/10 in adults 18-49, 15.9 million viewers overall), "The Guardian" (3.3/8 in adults 18-49, 13.2 million viewers overall) and "Judging Amy" (4.2/11 in adults 18-49, 13.9 million viewers overall). For the first time this season, "Amy" defeated ABC's "NYPD Blue" (4.1/11) in adults 18-49.

Overall, it was CBS' strongest Tuesday in key demos since October 1.

Fox's "24" remained on top for its hour in adults 18-49 (4.9/12), dominating at 9:30 in the demo after trailing NBC's "Frasier" head-to-head at 9 (5.2/13 vs. 4.9/12).

Opening-hour comedy battle was a virtual wash, with ABC's "8 Simple Rules" and Fox's "That '70s Show" tying for the 18-49 lead with a 4.6 rating. ABC's "According to Jim" (4.9/12) moved ahead in the 8:30 half-hour, edging out a repeat of "70s Show" (4.9 to 4.6).

NBC had a weak night, falling to fourth in adults 18-49. At 9:30, "Hidden Hills" retained just 73% of its "Frasier" 18-49 lead-in (3.8/9 vs. 5.2/13). And the net's leadoff-hour laffers and "Dateline" also struggled.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 4.8/12; ABC, 4.1/11; CBS, 3.7/10; NBC, 3.4/9.

In total viewers: CBS, 14.3 million; ABC, 10.8 million; Fox, 9.4 million; NBC, 8.4 million.