Trio of ‘Law & Order’ Boosts NBC

Crime paid for NBC last week as “Law & Order” scored a ratings trifecta, helping the network achieve its third consecutive victory to open the new TV season, based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

Buoyed by heightened tune-in this month for “The West Wing,” the eldest “Law & Order” attracted its second-biggest audience ever last Wednesday (the biggest came just a week earlier), while “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” in its third season, delivered a best-ever ratings performance Friday. The latest addition to the franchise, “Criminal Intent,” also won its time slot Sunday despite solid ratings for ABC’s “Alias,” CBS’ movie “Surviving Gilligan’s Island” and HBO’s “Band of Brothers” in that hour.

NBC’s reinvigorated series “Friends” triumphed over the latest edition of “Survivor,” but the unscripted series still got off to a strong start, helping CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” draw its biggest audience yet, even surpassing tune-in for “ER” on Thursday.

The news was less encouraging for CBS’ “The Education of Max Bickford,” which slipped Sunday, finishing behind ABC’s animated Disney film “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Viewing of the Richard Dreyfuss drama was off nearly a third compared to its “60 Minutes” lead-in and the audience that watched “Bickford’s” Sept. 23 debut.