NEW YORK — A ratings sweeps month on TV is usually known for its stunts and specials. The first full week of the May sweeps was most remarkable for its status quo.
The week's two most popular shows — "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "American Idol" — have essentially been the country's two favorite shows for months.
All but two of last week's top 20 shows were episodes of regular series. The two exceptions were reruns of "Friends" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," Nielsen Media Research said.
Last week's network standings were just how they will shake out for the season as a whole: CBS with a slight edge over NBC among total viewers, NBC narrowly beating Fox among the advertiser-desired 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
CBS's movie about Lucille Ball was a modest success with nearly 13 million viewers. Tim Allen's retrospective on "Home Improvement" for ABC had 11.3 million viewers, more than any of its current comedies.
With the help of lead-in "American Idol," Fox's comedy "Bernie Mac" drew its best ratings ever last week.
Monica Lewinsky's future as a TV star appears limited; Fox's "Mr. Personality" was a dud with 7.9 million viewers. After months of failures, ABC may have a modest reality hit with "Extreme Makeover."
For the week, CBS averaged 11.8 million viewers, NBC had 11.4 million, Fox had 9.7 million, ABC had 8.7 million, the WB had 4.1 million, UPN had 3.4 million and Pax TV had 1.1 million.
For the week of April 28-May 4, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 22.7 million; "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 20.4 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 20.2 million; "ER," NBC, 19.5 million; "Friends," NBC, 19 million; "Law & Order," NBC, 18.1 million; "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 17.9 million; "Survivor: Amazon," CBS, 17.7 million; "CSI: Miami," CBS, 17.2 million; "Friends" (special), NBC, 17.2 million.