No. 1 CBS Gets a Double Assist From Downey

Roma Downey worked a little magic for CBS Sunday, as her dual appearance in “Touched by an Angel” and the TV movie “Borrowed Hearts: A Holiday Romance” helped the network claim first place for the fifth time in six weeks, based on results issued Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research.

Getting an additional lift from the Tuesday drama “JAG,” starring David James Elliott, and the Monday sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS was the only major network to draw more viewers than during the corresponding week last year--a feat also achieved by the upstart WB network, led by its family drama “7th Heaven.”

CBS had to overcome a solid Thursday performance by NBC, which slumped through the weekend with “Sense and Sensibility” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” as viewing of that holiday perennial dropped 38% versus its telecast a year ago. NBC will air the Frank Capra film again on Christmas.

“Ally McBeal” provided Fox’s most potent cup of holiday cheer, with the Dec. 14 episode drawing the show’s second-biggest audience this season. NBC’s “Will & Grace” inaugurated its move to Tuesdays by beating another new comedy, ABC’s “Sports Night,” even though “Spin City” edged “Just Shoot Me” in the preceding half-hour.

Cable Top 10

Here are Nielsen’s top 10 cable programs in prime time last week, also ranked by total viewers (in millions).

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Program Network Viewers 1. Sunday Night Football ESPN 10.6 2. Wrestling (Mon., 9 p.m.) USA 5.93 3. Larry King Live (Wed.) CNN 5.84 4. Wrestling (Mon., 10 p.m.) USA 5.54 5. Wrestling (Mon., 8 p.m.) TNT 5.30 6. “Lethal Weapon” TBS 5.25 7. “Strike Against Iraq” (Wed.) CNN 5.24 8. CNN News (Wed, 10:13 p.m.) CNN 5.12 9. Wrestling (Thur., 9:05 p.m.) TBS 4.91 10. NFL Primetime ESPN 4.42

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Network Averages

Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

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Last week Season to date CBS 12.56 million 13.23 NBC 11.68 12.73 ABC 10.70 12.32 FOX 9.20 10.81 WB 4.83 4.62 UPN 2.75 2.76

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