It’s been a rough year for the broadcast networks, but a look back at the season through Sunday reveals that along with the many bombs on network television there are a few shows that have been on an upswing.
   Of the 84 programs that were on the air this season and last, 19 have a bigger adult 18-49 audience than they did last year.  
  Those posting the largest year-to-year increases, based on this season so far compared to the full 2002-'03 season, include ABC’s “8 Simple Rules,” which following the death of lead actor John Ritter is up an average 47 percent. 
  CBS’s Sunday movie is up 27 percent, and while it still pulls modest ratings, CBS’s “Becker” is up 28 percent since moving to Wednesday and getting a lift from lead-in “King of Queens.”
   But the most successful show this season, meaning the one with the largest audience, is CBS’s “CSI.”
   The show ranks No. 1 at just under 12.2 million people in the 18-49 demo. It moved up from No. 4 last year, not counting shows that came later in the season like “American Idol,” when it trailed Fox’s “Joe Millionaire” and NBC’s “Friends” and “ER.”
   While “CSI” has done well, it moved up the rankings because NBC is having problems.
   NBC’s entire Thursday lineup has taken a hit. The adult 18-49 audience for “Friends” is down 13 percent and the show now ranks No. 3, while “Will & Grace” has slipped 11 percent. “ER” is off a modest 3 percent from last season, but its lead over CBS’s “Without a Trace” on Thursdays at 10 p.m. slipped from 5.7 million to 5.4 million people.
   Other shows that are growing are doing so on a relatively small scale.
   Among them are many of ABC’s comedies, including sitcoms that come after “8 Simple Rules” on Tuesday like “Less than Perfect,” which is up 15 percent over last season. The network’s “According to Jim” is up 21 percent from its 8:30 time slot last season and is up 35 percent in the Tuesday 9 p.m. slot it now has.
  Other shows that are up in the 18-49 demographic include ABC’s “20/20,” “My Wife & Kids” and “Primetime Thursday,” CBS’s “60 Minutes,” NBC’s “Dateline Sunday” and “Fear Factor,” the WB’s “Angel” and “Charmed,” and UPN’s “Girlfriends,” “Half and Half” and “The Parkers.”
   Many of the shows that either have increases or decreases from last year had a time slot change.
   Among those are ABC’s “George Lopez,” which is down 30 percent, and ABC’s “Life with Bonnie” (down 22 percent). Fox’s “Boston Public” is down 53 percent, while the now-canceled “Wanda at Large” fell 71 percent. The WB’s “Smallville” is down 20 percent, while NBC’s “Third Watch” is off 23 percent from last season. CBS’s “Yes, Dear” is down 21 percent while ABC’s “Wonderful World of Disney” is off 26 percent.
   A time slot change, however, can only partly explain the season’s biggest disappointment.
  Having played out its secret twist in its first version, Fox’s second “Joe Millionaire” pulled an adult 18-49 audience that was off 75 percent from its predecessor.
  That fueled the idea that most reality shows will be short-lived. But others like ABC’s “Bachelor” were among this season’s most-watched programs in the 18-49 demo. The same is true for NBC’s first season of “Average Joe” and Fox’s continuing “Simple Life.”
   Other new programs that are doing well include CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” and NBC’s “Las Vegas.”