or


[09/30/05 - 12:00 AM]
CBS's Regular Thursday Lineup Returns from Its Summer Sabbatical to Dominate the Competition
[via press release from CBS]

CBS'S REGULAR THURSDAY LINEUP RETURNS FROM ITS SUMMER SABBATICAL TO DOMINATE THE COMPETITION

The Fourth Season Premiere of "Without a Trace" Beats "ER" By Its Largest Margin Ever in Viewers and Adults 25-54

"Survivor: Guatemala" Up Over Last Week Despite Increased Competition

"CSI" Rules The Night With More Than 27 Million Viewers

CBS's regular Thursday lineup -- SURVIVOR, CSI and WITHOUT A TRACE -- returned intact for the first time since last May and once again dominated the competition in viewers and key demographics, according to preliminary Nielsen affiliate ratings for Sept. 29.

At 10:00 PM, the fourth season premiere of WITHOUT A TRACE won its time period in households (13.8/22), viewers (21.13m), adults 25-54 (8.0/19) and a very close second in adults 18-49 (6.4/17, -0.2 behind NBC's "ER").

WITHOUT A TRACE beat "ER" by +47% in households (vs. 9.4/15), +10% in adults 25-54 (7.3/18) and +6.94m viewers (from 14.19m).

This is the largest margin of victory ever for a first run episode of WITHOUT A TRACE against a first run "ER" in viewers. In adults 25-54, this is also the largest margin of victory ever and only the second time WITHOUT A TRACE has topped "ER" in this demographic. Last night was also the smallest difference, -0.2, between first run episodes of WITHOUT A TRACE and "ER" in adults 18-49.

From 9:00-10:00 PM, CSI finished first in households (17.0/26), viewers (27.20m), adults 25-54 (11.1/25), adults 18-49 (9.1/22) and adults 18-34 (7.1/20) and was the night's most watched and highest rated program in households, adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA won its time period with a 10.5/17 with 17.13m viewers, 7.1/18 in adults 25-54 and 5.6/15 in adults 18-49.

Despite increased competition from the premieres of "Alias," "Smallville" and a live season premiere broadcast of "Will & Grace," SURVIVOR built on last week's audience by +150,000 viewers (from 16.98m).

SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA beat second place NBC ("Joey" and the season premiere of "Will & Grace") by +81% in households (vs. 5.8/09), +56% in adults 18-49 (vs. 3.6/10) and +73% in adults 25-54 (4.1/10) and nearly doubled NBC in viewers (+8.56m viewers, from 8.57m).

For the night, CBS was first in households (13.8/22), viewers (21.82m), adults 25-54 (8.7/21), adults 18-49 (7.0/18) and adults 18-34 (5.2/15).

Final Thursday ratings will be available this afternoon.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: What follows is the afternoon update with the final national Nielsen ratings.]

CBS'S REGULAR THURSDAY LINEUP RETURNS FROM ITS SUMMER SABBATICAL TO DOMINATE THE COMPETITION

The Fourth Season Premiere of "Without a Trace" Beats "ER" By Its Largest Margin Ever in Viewers and Adults 25-54

"Survivor: Guatemala" Up Over Last Week Despite Increased Competition

"CSI" Rules The Night With 28 Million Viewers

CBS's regular Thursday lineup -- SURVIVOR, CSI and WITHOUT A TRACE -- returned intact for the first time since last May and once again dominated the competition in viewers and key demographics, according to final national Nielsen ratings for Sept. 29.

The fourth season premiere of WITHOUT A TRACE won its 10:00 PM time period in households (13.8/22), viewers (20.98m), adults 25-54 (7.9/19) and a very close second in adults 18-49 (6.4/17, -0.2 behind NBC's "ER").

WITHOUT A TRACE beat "ER" by +45% in both households (vs. 9.5/15) and viewers (vs. 14.44m, +6.54m) and +7% in adults 25-54 (vs. 7.4/18).

This is the largest margin of victory ever for a first run episode of WITHOUT A TRACE against a first run "ER" in viewers. In adults 25-54, this is also the largest margin of victory ever and only the second time WITHOUT A TRACE has topped "ER" in this demographic. Last night was also the smallest difference, -0.2, between first run episodes of WITHOUT A TRACE and "ER" in adults 18-49.

At 9:00 PM, CSI finished first in households (17.4/26), viewers (28.00m), adults 25-54 (11.5/26), adults 18-49 (9.4/23) and adults 18-34 (7.3/20) and was the night's most watched and highest rated program in households, adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. CSI beat NBC, ABC and FOX combined in households (vs. 14.8/22, +18%), viewers (vs. 22.10, +27%) and adults 25-54 (vs. 10.4/23, +11%) and in a virtual tie in adults 18-49 (vs. 9.7/24 for three networks).

SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA won its time period with a 10.6/17 with 17.29m viewers, 7.2/18 in adults 25-54 and 5.7/16 in adults 18-49.

Despite increased competition from the premieres of "Alias," "Smallville" and a live season premiere broadcast of "Will & Grace," SURVIVOR built on last week's audience by +310,000 viewers (from 16.98m).

SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA beat second place NBC ("Joey" and the season premiere of "Will & Grace") by +80% in households (vs. 5.9/09), +54% in adults 18-49 (vs. 3.7/10) and +71% in adults 25-54 (vs. 4.2/11) and nearly doubled NBC in viewers (+8.62m viewers, vs. 8.67m).

For the night, CBS was first in households (13.9/22), viewers (22.13m), adults 25-54 (8.9/21), adults 18-49 (7.2/19) and adults 18-34 (5.3/16).





  [september 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ALIAS (ABC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· ER (NBC)
· JOEY (NBC)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)
· SURVIVOR (CBS)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)




[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.
[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November
Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.
[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM]
All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery
Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.
[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.
[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.
[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
"Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.
[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026
Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.
[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.
[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S.
Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.
[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet
The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM]
Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th
Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.
[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix
Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.
[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM]
A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered
The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.