nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for thursday, may 26, 2011)

Here are the highlights of the 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

"So You Think You Can Dance" (9.10 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.2, #1) returned on top as FOX (9.10 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.2, #1) kicked off the summer season with a victory. Last night's premiere was the show's most-watched premiere in four years (five cycles, since 5/24/07) and its highes rated in three years (four cycles, since 5/22/08).

CBS (8.09 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.7, #2) then was king of the repeats with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (8.17 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2), "Rules of Engagement" (6.76 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.8, #3), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (7.72 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5) and "The Mentalist" (9.08 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #4).

ABC (4.12 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) followed with its lineup of "Wipeout" (5.08 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5), "Rookie Blue" (3.88 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10) and another "Rookie Blue" (3.40 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10).

Next up was NBC (2.43 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) and its all-repeat combination of "Community" (2.83 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T13), "30 Rock" (2.39 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T13), "The Office" (2.78 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #7), "Parks & Recreation" (2.25 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T8), another "30 Rock" (2.26 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T8) and another "The Office" (2.06 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (0.98 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #15) and "Nikita" (0.93 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.3, #16) on The CW (0.96 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) rounded out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): None.

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

Currently not available.

Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/27/10):

The summer kicked off with FOX (8.17 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) on top thanks to the return of "So You Think You Can Dance" (7.79 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.8, #2) followed by a second hour of "So You Think You Can Dance" (8.55 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.2, #1).

A distant silver then went to CBS (7.54 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) with its all-repeat lineup of "How I Met Your Mother" (4.02 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T10), "Rules of Engagement" (4.63 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T5), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (8.35 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #4) and "The Mentalist" (9.95 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #3).

Next up was NBC (2.71 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with a repeat of "Community" (2.98 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T12) followed by the long-delayed launch of "100 Questions" (2.52 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T14). Closing out the evening then were repeats of "The Office" (2.99 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T5), "30 Rock" (2.83 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8), another "The Office" (2.63 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8) and "Parks & Recreation" (2.33 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T10).

Meanwhile, ABC (3.80 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) offered up the series finale of "FlashForward" (4.96 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T5), the special "Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute" (3.35 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T14) and a repeat of "Grey's Anatomy" (3.10 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T12).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.80 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T14) and "Supernatural" (1.45 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.5, #17) on The CW (1.62 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5) rounded out the night.

Source: Nielsen Media Research