'NCIS' spinoff propels CBS to first place

CBS began the fall season with a bang, winning the first week overall, scoring the top-rated program and premiering the most-watched new show for the week of Sept. 21-27, according to Nielsen ratings figures.

CBS' veteran hit "NCIS" took the No. 1 spot, with its spinoff, "NCIS: Los Angeles," debuting in the runner-up position. Another new CBS drama, "The Good Wife," got a warm viewer welcome with a 15th-place ranking.

ABC's new Wednesday comedies "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" did well, ranking 20th and 23rd, respectively, while that network's new thriller "FlashForward" nabbed 21st place with its premiere.

Meanwhile, the infant season claimed its first victim among the new fall crop: The neglected melodrama "The Beautiful Life: TBL" was axed by the CW after just two airings.

For the week, network averages were: CBS, 11.77 million viewers (7.3, 12); ABC, 11.04 million (7.1, 12); NBC, 7.56 million (4.8, 8); Fox, 7.35 million (4.3, 7); CW, 2.17 million, (1.5, 2); My Network, 1.36 million (0.9, 1); ION, 630,000 (0.4, 1).

ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 NCIS (CBS)

3 Dancing With the Stars (ABC)

4 Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis at Arizona (NBC)

5 House (Fox)

6 Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

7 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

9 Dancing With the Stars (Tuesday) (ABC)

10 Dancing With the Stars (Wednesday) (ABC)

11 The Mentalist (CBS)

12 CSI: New York (CBS)

13 60 Minutes (CBS)

15 The Good Wife (CBS)

16 Desperate Housewives (ABC)

17 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

18 Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick (NBC)

19 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)