Primetime Ratings: Few Viewers Spot ABC’s Men in Trees

ABC's Men in Treesreturned and, apparently, not a lot of people missed it. Meanwhile, netlet The CW crept up on the pack thanks to America’s Next Top Model.

Men in Trees' return at 10 p.m. Wednesday was the lowest-rated show of the night on the Big Four with a 1.7/5 in the 18-49 demo -- lower-rated than Next Top Model, which averaged a 2/5 from 8 p.m.-9 p.m.

The winner and still champion Wednesday was Fox (8.9/23 for the night) and American Idol (10.4/27). Returning Fox sitcom Back to You also won its time period with a 4.4/11.

NBC was second with a 2.6/7, topped by Law & Order with a 3.3/9 at 10 p.m.

ABC was third with a 2.4/6. Its top show was Supernanny, which appeared to inherit some of Idol's reality audience when that show ended at 9:30. The 9 p.m.-10 p.m. Nanny's rating grew from a 2.8 from 9 p.m.-9:30 p.m. to a 3.8 from 9:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

CBS was fourth with a 2.2/6 thanks to a repeat of CSI, which was its top show at a 2.3/6 from 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

The CW averaged a 1.5/4 thanks to Top Model.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.