Without original “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI” episodes airing in its timeslot, Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” managed to perk up from last week’s second episode, though it still didn’t match the show’s premiere level two weeks ago.

“Apprentice” averaged a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, up 11 percent from last week’s 3.5 but down 13 percent from the previous week’s seventh-season debut. “Apprentice” was the top-rated show of the night and up a considerable 39 percent from the third episode of season six, which averaged a 2.8.

That came against substantially weaker competition, however. Last week ABC’s “Grey’s” drew a 7.0 and CBS’s “CSI” a 5.0 in the 9 p.m. slot. The two combined for just half that rating last night for reruns.

That indicates that many viewers may have taped “Apprentice” last week; the show’s seven-day DVR playback rating will probably jump a good bit when those are released later this month.

On a night where only one network, Fox, aired all originals, viewers were evidently in the mood for something fresh. The network scored a very rare Thursday victory with its reality lineup of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” both of which hit their highest numbers in months.

Fox averaged a 3.5 average overnight rating and a 9 share for the evening. NBC was second at 3.2/9, CBS third at 2.9/8, ABC fourth at 2.5/7, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and CW sixth at 1.0/3.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with a 3.7 for “Smarter,” with ABC second with a 3.0 for “Ugly Betty.” NBC was third with a 2.3 for repeats of “My Name is Earl” and “The Office,” Univision fourth with a 1.9 for “Amar sin Limites,” CBS fifth with a 1.8 for a repeat of “Without a Trace” and CW sixth with a 1.1 for a “Smallville” rerun.
 
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 3.9 for “Apprentice,” followed by CBS with a 3.5 for a repeat of “CSI.” Fox was third with a 3.4 for “Lyrics,” ABC fourth with a 2.5 for a repeat of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Supernatural.”
 
At 10 p.m. NBC led again with a 3.5 for “ER,” marking its second straight timeslot win against original competition on the other networks. CBS was again in second with a 3.3 for a new “Trace.” ABC was third with a 1.8 for “Big Shots” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Amas de Casa Desperadas.”
 
CBS was first for the night among households with an 8.0 average overnight rating and a 13 share. Fox was second at 6.1/10, NBC third at 5.1/8, ABC fourth at 5.0/8, Univision fifth at 1.9/3 and CW sixth at 1.7/3.