8pm
With NBC's early season collapse, that left the gate wide open for a new winner in the hour, and "Joan Of Arcadia" (46) stepped right in and sopped up the extra viewers. So did ABC, infact, early in the season, although late season losses mired "George Lopez" in 93rd, while companion "Married To the Kelley's" sunk to 101st, later to be replaced by "The Big House" (112). NBC was a deep third in the hour with the utter failure of "Miss Match" (96), which lasted only a few weeks in the slot before being bumped up an hour. "Dateline" (55) stepped in November on and showed marked improvements. The WB had one constant in "Reba" (133), but aired everything from "What I Like About You" (149) to "Like Family" (152) at 8:30pm, all with diminishing results. The UPN, as usual, stuck with a movie (157). The real loser in the hour? Fox, which couldn't decide what exactely it was trying to do in the hour. It started out ugly with "Wanda At Large" (130) and "Luis" (141), but improved little as the season progressed. "Playing It Straight" (130) made it only a few airings, while "World's Craziest Videos" (119) and "Outrageous Behavior" (117) were only slightly better. Of, "The X-Files," where art thou?

Winner:  Joan Of Arcadia (CBS)
Loser:  Fox

9pm
9pm was another one of those hour where nothing really happened. Ratings were fairly stable throughout the entire season, leading CBS and a relocated "JAG" (36) to a big win, with only "Dateline" (55) really coming close. Vut it wasn't that way at the start of the season. "Hope & Faith" looked like it was going to be a big hit for ABC, although a late-season collapse mired the show in just 69th place. Lead-out "Life With Bonnie" did even worse at 93rd, and got the boot. Fox, meanwhile, shot itself in the footb by moving "Boston Public" onto the night, then pulling it after it ranked just 121st, which was predictable. The WB aired "Grounded For Life" to 146th at 9pm, but couldn't exactely decide what to air at 9:30pm, just like at 8:30pm. Late season it tried "The Help," but at 154th, it was no help to the frog. And then there was the UPN, once again, with its pathetic movie.

Winner:  JAG (CBS)
Loser:  Fox

10pm
NAfter the total dominance of "Law & Order: SVU" over the past few seasons, was NBC ready to take a hit with "Boomtown" ? Yes, but not this much of one: the showed ranked 95th on the season and lasted just 3 weeks on the air. That opened the door for "The Handler" (80), but that show sunk once NBC moved "Third Watch" (60) into the hour. ABC, meanwhile, had an up season with "20/20"
(56), but died when it tried out "The DA" (110).

Winner:  20/20 (ABC)
Loser:  Boomtown (NBC)