Of course, as usual, NBC's Sunday Night Football led the week with adults 18-49, but CBS ran a lot of original program last week and easily won the week with viewers and adults 18-49 against mostly repeat competition.
The Big Bang Theory topped CBS with adults 18-49, and NCIS was the week's most-watched program overall. CBS had 15 of the top 25 programs for the week with adults 18-49, and 19 out of 25 on the total viewers chart.
Weekly cable show ratings and overnight broadcast show ratings are also available.
Adults 18-49 viewing for the week ending December 20, 2009:
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Viewers (000) |
| 1 | NBC Sunday Night Football | NBC | 6.5 | 8,502 | |
| 2 | Big Bang Theory, THE | CBS | 5.6 | 7,407 | |
| 3 | Two and a Half Men | CBS | 5.2 | 6,825 | |
| 4 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA FINALE(S) | S | CBS | 4.4 | 5,759 |
| 5 | NCIS | CBS | 4.3 | 5,712 | |
| 6 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 4.2 | 5,526 | |
| 7 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 4.1 | 5,375 | |
| 8 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 3.9 | 5,092 | |
| 9 | Simpsons | R | FOX | 3.8 | 4,960 |
| 10 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 3.8 | 4,938 | |
| 11 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA REUNION(S) | S | CBS | 3.8 | 4,937 |
| 12 | How I Met Your Mother | CBS | 3.7 | 4,914 | |
| 13 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 3.6 | 4,784 | |
| 14 | CSI | CBS | 3.5 | 4,580 | |
| 15 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 3.5 | 4,557 | |
| 16 | FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 | NBC | 3.3 | 4,351 | |
| 17 | ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE | CBS | 3.2 | 4,216 | |
| 18 | CSI: NY | CBS | 3.1 | 4,121 | |
| 19 | SNL SP:GILLY XMAS 12/17(S) | S | NBC | 3.1 | 4,109 |
| 20 | Family Guy | R | FOX | 3.1 | 4,031 |
| 21 | Good Wife, THE | CBS | 2.8 | 3,713 | |
| 22 | CLEVELAND | R | FOX | 2.8 | 3,683 |
| 23 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 2.6 | 3,458 | |
| 24 | SING OFF 12/15(S) | S | NBC | 2.6 | 3,359 |
| 25 | American Dad | R | FOX | 2.5 | 3,287 |
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Overall viewing (all ages 2+) for the week ending December 20, 2009:
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| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | # Viewers (LIVE+SD) (000) | HH RATING (LIVE+SD) | HH SHARE (LIVE+SD) |
| 1 | NCIS | CBS | 20,685 | 12.7 | 21 | |
| 2 | NBC Sunday Night Football | NBC | 18,187 | 11.0 | 18 | |
| 3 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 17,503 | 10.9 | 17 | |
| 4 | Two and a Half Men | CBS | 16,370 | 9.8 | 15 | |
| 5 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 15,769 | 9.9 | 17 | |
| 6 | Big Bang Theory, THE | CBS | 15,580 | 9.3 | 14 | |
| 7 | CSI | CBS | 15,578 | 9.5 | 15 | |
| 8 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 14,677 | 9.0 | 14 | |
| 9 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 14,183 | 9.0 | 15 | |
| 10 | Good Wife, THE | CBS | 14,170 | 9.1 | 16 | |
| 11 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA FINALE(S) | S | CBS | 13,965 | 7.6 | 12 |
| 12 | CSI: NY | CBS | 13,551 | 8.6 | 15 | |
| 13 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 13,065 | 7.9 | 13 | |
| 14 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 12,720 | 8.2 | 14 | |
| 15 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 12,463 | 7.3 | 12 | |
| 16 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA REUNION(S) | S | CBS | 11,676 | 6.4 | 11 |
| 17 | FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 | NBC | 9,929 | 6.0 | 10 | |
| 18 | How I Met Your Mother | CBS | 9,645 | 5.8 | 9 | |
| 19 | ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE | CBS | 8,818 | 5.5 | 8 | |
| 20 | Simpsons | R | FOX | 8,146 | 4.8 | 8 |
| 21 | SNL SP:GILLY XMAS 12/17(S) | S | NBC | 7,790 | 4.7 | 8 |
| 22 | GARY UNMARRIED | CBS | 7,758 | 4.6 | 8 | |
| 23 | OLD CHRISTINE | CBS | 7,636 | 4.7 | 8 | |
| 24 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 7,087 | 4.3 | 7 | |
| 25 | ABC SUN MOVIE OF WK-12/20(S) | S | ABC | 7,081 | 3.9 | 6 |
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Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. All ratings above Live+SD (live viewing plus same day DVR viewing)
Big Bang was a rerun Mon. night.
ralph, it was not. this chart is for the 14th not the 21st.
SO the Simpsons repeat stayed flat then. I thought it would go down.
OMG ABC is not even on the top 25. lol
once ABC gets out of re-runs, they will return to the top 25…hopefully
The Big Bang Theory really rocks! its the best show ever, no wonder it is on the top.
Any thoughts on what the Charlie Sheen arrest might mean for CBS? Surely if he’s convicted, public opinion may force CBS for fire him? This show is a huge cash cow – but can people, in good conscience, laugh at a man who has (allegedly) attacked his wife?
Could this be one of those occasions when the outside world invades the “pure” world of ratings-based decisions?
Here’s what I don’t get about DVR’ing, back in the day, of the 90s, people use to use their VCRs to record TV shows, if they were out/watching something else/whatever, generally, if I did it, I would fast forward through the ads, isn’t DVRing the same thing, except a mdoernised, less bulky version of recording using your VCR? If so why do DVR ratings matter, seeing as only people who watch it live would watch the ads…? If you can’t fast forward DVR’d shows, then ignore the question.
On the other hand, I see no football, yet Simpsons beat Family Guy, that’s not normal isn’t it? Or did they show an episode from 1995 which noone between the ages of 18-49 had seen before?
And on the Charlie Sheen thing – CBS will probably rage at Charlie Sheen for a bit, then they will remember that they’re paying him 800k+ per episode of Two and a Half Men, they will realise what they’re doing and the consequences of their actions, so they will sew their mouths shut.