CBS steals NBC’s Thursday thunder

NBC sure could use some “Friends” now.

For years, the network counted on its sitcom lineup to blow away competitors on Thursdays. But that was before “Friends” ended its 10-year run in May. This week, fresh episodes of the CBS whodunits “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Without a Trace” returned to the lineup with dominating numbers. CBS ended up winning the night not just among total viewers -- usually its best category -- but also among adults ages 18 to 49, which is exactly the demographic NBC prides itself on delivering for advertisers.

“Without a Trace” (21.5 million viewers) became the first drama ever to beat a first-run episode of “ER” (19.7 million), according to figures from Nielsen Media Research, although “ER” still won easily among young adults.

The fifth-season premiere of “CSI” was the night’s most-watched show (30.6 million), nearly matching the series’ all-time high of 30.9 million in February and almost double the viewers for NBC’s reality show “The Apprentice” (15.9 million).

At 8 p.m., CBS’ “Survivor: Vanuatu” (19.1 million) made short work of NBC’s “Friends” spinoff “Joey” (14.9 million), whose ratings have declined in each of its three airings.

Jonathan Taylor