TV Ratings: CBS controls Tuesday as 'V' drops again

'NCIS' still tops the night, while Heather Locklear provides a tiny bump to 'Melrose Place'

By Daniel Fienberg Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009 11:47 AM

Mark Harmon of 'NCIS'

Credit: Eric McCandless/CBS

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

CBS continued its overall domination of Tuesday nights and held onto a smaller lead in the key 18-49 demographic. Meanwhile, ABC's "V" had its second straight week of dropping numbers, falling to third in its hour in the key demo.

Oh and it turns out that Heather Locklear was not an imaginary elixir for "Melrose Place." Amanda Woodward's return gave The CW drama only a small bump.

Among adults 18-49, CBS led the way with a 3.4 rating. NBC was second in the all-important age group with a 3.0 rating, followed closely by the 2.7 rating for ABC and FOX's 2.4 rating. The CW trailed with a 0.9 rating.

Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 15.93 million viewers to go with a 10.0 rating/16 share. ABC was well back in second with a 7.0/11 and 10.93 million viewers. NBC's 4.8/8 was good for third, beating the 3.8/6 for FOX. The CW trailed with a 1.3/2.

CBS started the night in first with a 12.3/19 for "NCIS," which also won the hour in the key demo with a 4.1 rating. ABC's "V" was second with a 6.0/9 and a 3.1 rating in the key demo, losing roughly 1.3 million viewers and 0.6 demo ratings points from last week. NBC's "Merry Madagascar" special and the start of "The Biggest Loser" were third overall and second in the demo. FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" had a 4.2/6 in its first hour. The CW's "90210" had a 1.5/2 for fifth.

ABC moved into first at 9 p.m. with a 10.2/16 for "Dancing with the Stars." It was a down week for CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles," which fell to second with a 9.3/14, though it still beat ABC in the 18-49 demo. NBC's "The Biggest Loser" had a 5.5/8 and won the hour with a 3.7 rating in the 18-49 demo. FOX was fourth with "So You Think You Can Dance," which dropped in its second hour. Locklear's return to "Melrose Place" did a 1.1/2, adding roughly 200,000+ viewers from last week's episode and bringing the show from a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demo to a 0.8 rating. [The CW's spin notes that this was the best performance for "Melrose Place" in female measures since the beginning of October.]

CBS closed in first with an 8.4/15 for "The Good Wife." ABC's "The Forgotten" was second overall with a 5.0/9. While NBC's "The Jay Leno" was in its customary third place position, it actually beat the ABC in the 18-49 demo.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.