'Glee' and 'Castle' step in as new hits as old shows fade

The high-school musical "Glee" and romantic mystery "Castle" are becoming a new generation of hits for Fox and ABC.

Both finished in the Nielsen Co.'s top 10 prime-time shows last week and were the most popular scripted shows on their networks. "Glee" is making magazine covers and generating buzz for Fox just as one of its old buzzworthy shows, "24," is getting ready to exit. "Castle" has had its four most-watched episodes in the past four weeks for ABC and is supplanting the aging "Desperate Housewives" as ABC's most popular drama.

Meanwhile, the week's most popular scripted show was the CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men" with its troubled star Charlie Sheen.

It was a particularly competitive week for the networks, with CBS the most popular network and Fox easily winning among the 18- to 49-year-old audience that it seeks.

CBS averaged 9.2 million viewers (5.8 rating, 10 share), Fox had 8.6 million (5.2, 9), ABC had 7.8 million (5.0, 9), NBC had 5.7 million (3.6, 6), the CW had 1.8 million (1.2, 2) and ION Television had 990,000 (0.7, 1).

NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 7.7 million viewers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 American Idol, Tue. (Fox)

3 Dancing With the Stars, Mon. (ABC)

4 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

5 Glee (Fox)

6 Dancing With the Stars, Tue. (ABC)

8 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

9 Academy of Country Music Awards (CBS)

10 Castle (ABC)

11 Criminal Minds (CBS)

12 Survivor: Heroes & Villains (CBS)

14 NCIS (CBS)

15 60 Minutes (CBS)

16 CSI: NY (CBS)

17 House (Fox)

18 CSI: Miami (CBS)