Overnights
CBS spears a win with its fresh shows
By Toni Fitzgerald
Mar 25, 2008 - 11:36:16 AM

Britney Spears is just as popular on TV as she is in the tabloids, and that helped CBS to a rare Monday victory last night with fresh episodes of its entire lineup for the first time this year.

CBS averaged a 4.4 adults 18-49 rating for the night, according to Nielsen overnights, 0.2 ahead of ABC, which led for most of the fall with its “Dancing with the Stars”-fueled lineup.

Spears’ much-buzzed-about cameo on “How I Met Your Mother” boosted the third-year sitcom to a season-best 4.5 rating, the second straight week the show has hit a new season high. That should help secure a renewal, as it was on the bubble when it returned last week, along with “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men,” from a nearly four-month hiatus sparked by the writers’ strike.

“Mother” finished second to “Stars” in its 8:30 p.m. slot, though “Men” nearly tied the ABC show at 9 p.m., averaging a 5.1 to the latter’s 5.2.

But it was the return of “CSI: Miami” at 10 p.m. that sewed up the win for CBS. The show averaged a 4.8, well ahead of ABC’s third-place 2.7 for “The Bachelor” in the same hour.

That left ABC second for the night with a 4.2 rating and 11 share. NBC and Fox tied for third at 2.4/6, Univision was fifth at 1.7/4 and CW took sixth at 0.6/2.
 
ABC led at 8 p.m. with a 4.8 for the first half of “Stars,” followed by CBS with a 3.9 average for “Bang” (3.4) and “Mother” (4.5). Fox was third with a 2.7 for a repeat of “House,” Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos,” NBC fifth with a 1.2 for “My Dad is Better than Your Dad” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Gossip Girl.”
 
At 9 p.m. ABC led again with a 5.2 average for the second half of “Stars,” while CBS remained second with a 4.5 average for “Men” (5.1) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (3.8). NBC was third with a 3.0 for “Deal or No Deal,” Fox fourth with a 2.0 for “New Amsterdam,” Univision fifth with a 1.7 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for “The Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.”
 
CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 4.8 for “CSI: Miami,” with NBC second with a 3.0 for “Medium.” ABC was third with a 2.7 for “Bachelor” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Cristina.”
 
Among households, ABC led the night with a 10.5 overnight rating and a 16 share, followed by CBS at 7.8/12, NBC at 4.8/8, Fox at 4.4/7, Univision at 2.0/3 and CW at 0.9/1.