'Think You Can Dance' Soars in Ratings
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FOX proved that TV viewers' summer infatuation with dance may not be just a passing fancy. The network's debut of "So You Think You Can Dance," (search) an "American Idol"-like competition for hoofers, pulled in 10.3 million viewers last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.
While relatively modest, it was still the week's third most-watched show, second among young viewers.
It comes on the heels of the summer's biggest success, ABC's now-concluded "Dancing With the Stars." (search)
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ABC's "Brat Camp," (search) following troubled teens being shocked into shape, is another top 10 success. But elsewhere, the shows that made ABC a surprise success during the TV season are having the opposite effect during summer.
A "Desperate Housewives" (search) rerun drew only 5.3 million viewers last week, while a "Lost" (search) repeat had 4.5 million. These serial-type shows traditionally do poorly in reruns, a truism that pulled ABC into fourth place last week.
Dramas where the stories are resolved in one episode do much better in repeats. That's why seven of Nielsen's top 15 shows last week were episodes of either the "CSI" (search) or "Law & Order" (search) franchises. Three other police-procedural dramas also made the top 15.
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For the week, CBS averaged 7.3 million viewers (5.0 rating, 9 share), while FOX had 5.8 million (3.7, 7) and won among the advertiser-friendly 18-to-49-year-old demographic. NBC had 5.6 million viewers (4.1, 7), ABC 5.3 million (3.7, 7), UPN 2.8 million (1.8, 3), the WB 1.7 million (1.2, 2) and Pax TV 670,000 (0.5, 1).
NBC's "Nightly News" won the evening news ratings race, averaging 8.2 million viewers (5.9, 13). ABC's "World News Tonight" 8 million viewers (5.6, 12) and the "CBS Evening News" 6.6 million (4.7, 10).
A ratings point represents 1,096,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 109.6 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.
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For the week of July 18-24, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 14.6 million; "Without a Trace," CBS, 12.7 million; "So You Think You Can Dance," FOX, 10.3 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 9.8 million; "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," NBC, 9.7 million; "NCIS," CBS, 9.4 million; "Brat Camp," ABC, 9.4 million; "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 9.2 million; "Law & Order," NBC, 9 million; "CSI: Miami," CBS, 8.9 million.