Monday Is for the Bird

The "Peacock" was pecking on all cylinders, or the avian equivalent, Monday night.

NBC won the 18-49 demo in the Nielsen overnight ratings with an average 4.6 rating/13 share, thanks to solid performances from its entire lineup.

Medium at 10 was the network's top show, averaging a 5.4/14 to win its time period , in the process demonstrating the difference between its ratings punch in originals vs. repeats.

Last Monday night, a repeat of Medium could only muster a 2.8/8 to time-period winner CSI: Miami's 6.8/18. But this Monday night, when the roles were reversed, the original Medium almost doubled that performance to best a still-strong repeat of CSI: Miami (5.0/13).

NBC also got solid production from Fear Factor at 8 (a time period-winning 3.9/11), and Las Vegas at 9, a 4.6/1 for a close second behind CBS (4.7/11), and ahead of NBC (4.4/11) in the most closely contested daypart of the night.

CBS was second. It's top performer was CSI: Miami, though repeats of Raymond and Two and a Half Men were also strong, winning their time period at 9-10 with the aforementioned 4.7/11.

Fox was third with a 3.8/10, thanks to 24, which averaged a 4.6/11 at 9-10. up a tad from last week's 4.5/11. The battle of the TV nanny's was essentially a dead heat, with Fox's Nanny 911 averaging a 3.0/9 at 8 and ABC's Supernanny a 3.0/8 at 10.

ABC was fourth, with a 2.9/8. It's best show was TheBachelor, with a 3.4/8 at 9-10, up an eyelash from last week's 3.3/8 in the demo.

The WB was fifth with a 1.8/5 for a repeat of Seventh Heaven and a new Everwood, while UPN was sixth with repeats of One on One and Cuts and new episodes of Girlfriends and Half & Half.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.