With “Grey’s Anatomy” finally back from writers’ strike hiatus, ABC easily won the first night of the May sweeps last night. Still, the best news of the night for ABC came at 10 p.m., where the network has long struggled to find a strong lead-out for “Grey’s.”
By relocating “Lost,” which aired at 9 on Thursdays while “Grey’s” was out, to 10 p.m., the network may have finally found its winning duo.
ABC averaged a 4.8 adults 18-49 rating and 13 share for the night, according to Nielsen overnights, 20 percent ahead of second-place CBS at 4.0/11.
“Grey’s” was the night’s highest-rated program, drawing a 6.3 rating, nearing a series low. It was hardly the only show that was off last night in the 9 p.m. slot.
CBS’s “CSI” also neared a series low with a 4.6 opposite “Grey’s,” and “The Office,” which had benefited from the lack of young-skewing competition in the timeslot the last two weeks, slipped to a 3.9 from a 4.9 last week.
At 10 p.m., ABC’s “Lost” dominated the competition in 18-49s, averaging a 5.5, just 0.2 off what it had been averaging in the earlier timeslot this season. CBS’s “Without a Trace” finished 40 percent behind it with a 3.3, while NBC’s “ER” hit another series low at 2.9.
If “Lost” continues strong, it will be the first ABC show to succeed in the 10 p.m. timeslot since “Grey’s” moved to Thursday’s last season. A number of shows have struggled there, including the quickly canceled “Big Shots” last fall.
Meanwhile, for the night, NBC placed third at 2.9/8, Fox fourth at 2.3/6, Univision fifth at 1.7/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.
CBS started the night in the lead with a 4.2 at 8 p.m. for “Survivor,” followed by ABC with a 2.5 for “Ugly Betty.” NBC was third with a 2.4 average for “My Name is Earl” (2.3) and “Scrubs” (2.4), Fox fourth with a 2.1 for “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?,” Univision fifth with a 1.8 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos” and CW sixth with a 1.4 for “Smallville.”
At 9 p.m. ABC took the lead with a 6.3 for “Grey’s,” while CBS slipped to second with a 4.6 for “CSI.” NBC was third with a 3.3 for “The Office” (3.9) and “30 Rock” (2.8), Fox fourth with a 2.5 for another hour of “5th Grader,” Univision fifth with a 2.0 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 1.0 for “Supernatural.”
ABC led again at 10 p.m. with a 5.5 for “Lost,” with CBS second with a 3.3 for “Without a Trace.” NBC was third with a 2.9 for “ER” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Amas de Casa Desperadas.”
CBS finished first for the night among households with a 9.2 average overnight rating and a 15 share. ABC was second at 8.1/13, Fox third at 5.3/8, NBC fourth at 4.3/7, Univision fifth at 2.0/3 and CW sixth at 1.8/3.
