NBC's football and CBS' dramas and comedies were favorites among TV viewers the week of Dec. 7-14, according to the Nielsen Co.
The top show was NBC's Sunday night faceoff between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. But other than the pre-game show and NBC's "Biggest Loser," the week's top 10 was dominated by reliable CBS hits like "CSI" and "Two and a Half Men." CBS' newsmagazine, "60 Minutes," came in fourth.
In the world of premium cable, Sunday's fourth-season finale of "Dexter" delivered 2.5 million viewers, making the vigilante-cop drama Showtime's most-watched telecast since a Mike Tyson fight a decade ago.
For the week, network averages were: CBS, 10.6 million viewers (6.6 rating, 11 share); NBC, 8.76 million (5.5, 9); ABC, 6.83 million (4.2, 7); Fox, 6.22 million (3.8, 6); CW, 1.63 million (1.1, 2); ION, 1.05 million (0.7, 1).
In the evening news race: NBC "Nightly News," 9.9 million (6.5, 12); ABC "World News," 8.8 million (5.9, 11); "CBS Evening News," 6.8 million (4.6, 8).
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1 Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia at New York Giants (NBC)
2 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
3 The Mentalist (CBS)
4 60 Minutes (CBS)
5 NCIS (CBS)
6 Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick (NBC)
7 Two and a Half Men (CBS)
8 Criminal Minds (CBS)
9 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
10 The Biggest Loser (NBC)
11 Survivor: Samoa (CBS)
12 CSI: NY (CBS)
13 CSI: Miami (CBS)
14 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
15 Prep & Landing (ABC)
16 Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special (ABC)
17 A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC)
18 Bones (Fox)
19 Barbara Walters Presents (ABC)
20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)