Monday: Just Like last year,  it was CBS's night to lose, and it didn't. Declines were the order of the day, but "CSI Miami" (5) did notch a nice increase over a strong start last season and managed to break into the top 5 for the very first time. "Raymond" (6) was down, but was still strong, while "Two & A Half Men" (11) is looking more and more like the bridge CBS was looking for and didn't find in "Still Standing" (22). Over on ABC, the net posted loses on the night, but football (7) still managed to break the top 10, creaming Fox's second edition of "Joe Millionaire" (85), which proves that some ideas are only good once, and that's all.
      NBC was down overall on the night, though "Fear Factor" (17) broke into the top 20, "Las Vegas" (34) was a solid addition and "Average Joe" (which I also call "Regular Joe"- excuse the inconsistancies with the bland names) only ranked 42nd in viewers, but took a very strong 17th place in adults. 
      On the micro-nets, "7th Heaven" is starting to show it's age at 73rd, while "Everwood" (82) is looking for and more like the next "7th Heaven." As for the UPN, this was one of those nights that actually worked, with "Girlfriends" topping out in 90th place. More sitcoms nights, eh UPN?

Tuesday: Oh Tuesday... On a night that become a huge headache for a few nets (think NBC, WB), there were some victories, mostly on ABC. "8 Simple Rules" (16) snuck into the top 20 for the very first time (though ratings did drop). "Jim" was solid at number 29 (19th in adults), and even "Less Than Perfect" (40th- 26th in adults) was up 19% over last season. going with the competing comedies, "Whoppi" (57) did okay for NBC and was actually only one of two shows that increased it's timeslot over last year for the peacock. Taking a big dip was "Frasier" to 31st, down a full 30% over last season.  And there is talk of a 12th season? Please, spare us. Even "Miami" (57) got in on the act, down 22% from "Hidden Hills" last season. The only bright spot seemed to be with "SVU" at 10pm, though at 20th place, it was up just 5% over "Dateline" last season while it lost about 20% of its Friday viewers. And this move was smart?
      Now over to the dramas. And CBS. While the rest of CBS's line-up has been pretty rocking, Tuesdays continue to age and lose viewers. "NCSI" (25) was 61st in adults, "The Guardian" (28) 55th and "Judging Amy" (27) 49th. But still, it did beat out "NYPD Blue" (40th). "24" was a non-significant 57th in the hour.
     Over on the WB, now that "Smallville"s gone..... "Gilmore" dipped to 87th, dwon 22%, while "One Tree Hill" came in at 99th, down a whopping 66% from "Smallville" last season. On the other side of the spectrum, "Rock Me Baby" turned out to be the UPN's big winner. At 104th place, it was up 69% in its timeslot even as "All Of Us" (95) was down 12%. Now what were those critics saying?

Wedmesday:  How do you upset the balance of a night? You move in one of your hit shows and pray for the best. The just what CBS got with "King of Queens," which landed in 21st place and was up 48% over "The Amazing Race" last season. It also ranked a solid 24th in adults, while lead-out "Becker" came in at 33rd, 41st in adults. "60 Minutes II" was also strong at 34th at 8pm.
      Another net going with this strategy was the WB with "Smallville." Though it didn't come close to last season's record breaking start, it did come in at 75th and a net leading 61st in adults. "Angel" dipped to 92nd at 9pm, but was still strong.
     And the rest? NBC has a tough ride with "Ed" (49) and "The West Wing" (24) both dwon significantly over last season although "Law & Order" (7) still led the nght. Over on ABC, "My Wife & Kids" (37) led "That 70s Show" (64), while "The Bachelor" (12) trounced "The OC" (61) at 9pm. 
     Finally, the little net that couldn't, the UPN, saw a 24% dive for "Enterprise" (97), while "Jake 2.0" (111) never even got started at 9pm.

Thursday:  While the big story on Thursday was the dive of NBC, there were some good stories to report, especially on ABC. Though it's not even close to challenging for even second spot, "threat Matrix" (71), "Extreme Makeover" (55) and "PrimeTime" (45) were all strong, while the latter two up 45% in their timeslots. And then there was CBS, with "Survivor" (2), "CSI" (1) and "Without A Trace" (10) all improving their timeslots. even the WB had gains with "JKX" (106) and "Steve Harvey" (103) while "Smackdown" reversed its eroision in 83rd spot.
     And then there was NBC. Although "Friends" (4), "Will & Grace" (13) and "ER" (2) all remain highly rated, all were down 20+ % in the ratings, save "ER," which was down only 14%. And Fox, whose "Tru Calling" (97) is truly a disaster.

Friday: Just like Wednesday, a few smart moves and suddenly it's a whole new ballgame. Just ask CBS, whose "Joan of Arcadia" (36) and "JAG" (22) are winning the night, even if "The Handler" (67) needs to be replaced. And ask ABC, where "Hope & Faith" (50) is winning its slot in adults at a 46th place ranking. Even "Life With Bonnie" (66) is up 57% in its timeslot. Where there any other winners on the night? Well, "Reba" (90) did open up the 8pm hour for the weblet, even as "Grounded For Life" (108) closed off the 9pm hour.
      Then there were the losers. And the biggest turkey was NBC and the dead "Miss Match" (81), which lost nearly half of its timeslot. "Third Watch" (44) is an improvement" at 10pm, though it is still down 40% from "SVU" this time last season, allowing "20/20" (38) to win the timeslot for the first time in years. And Fox. Pity poor Fox. "Wanda At Large" (101) is dead, while "Boston Public" (88) is barely better. I guess this is what mid-seaosn is for.

Saturday:  Who won the night? Well, that would be CBS, just like on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday. "48 Hours" (64), "Hack" (54) and "The District" (45) are nothing spectacular, but they are winning the night. NBC aired a slew of repeat on the night, none of which count in the overall ratings for the month, while Fox topped out with "Cops" at 8:30pm (72). And then there was ABC, whose "Dragnet" (89) was quickly dumped while the Disney Movie (75) didn't doo much better, In fact, a new movie from the Olsen Twins actually failed to grab 5mil viewers. Yikes!

Sunday:  CBS used to be quite dominant on this night, then it fell, and now it's getting back up. "60 Minutes" (14) was up 7% over last season, "Cold Case" (15) a third, while the movie (9) was up an astonishing 67% over last season, breaking the top 10 for the first time in six years.
     "Law & Order: CI" (18) was the bright spot for NBC even as "American Dreams" (61) imploded, while "Alias" (53) was the top draw for ABC, ranking 31st in adults. Over on Fox, "The Simpsons" (18) stayed in the top 20 while "Malcolm" (43) continued to anchor at 9pm with "Arrested Development" (75) barely making a peek at 9:30pm. Still all series were down over last season. 
     And then there's "Charmed." Not only did it not die on Sundays as predicted, but it's actually drawing new fans. In 85th place, it was up 13% over last season. Too bad "Tarzan" (108) was down 30%....