Thursday-night TV battleground

As NBC’s once-dominant Thursday night lineup continues to slide, the other networks duked it out this week for what’s left of the old “Friends” audience.

NBC’s rapidly fading “Joey” (7.4 million viewers) struggled against CBS’ “Survivor: Guatemala” (17.3 million) and, in its new time slot, the fifth-season premiere of ABC’s spy drama “Alias” (8.2 million). In fact, the rivalries were fierce at 8 p.m., with UPN’s comedy “Everybody Hates Chris” (6 million) holding its own and the fifth-season premiere of “Smallville” (5.9 million) getting the WB Network’s new Thursday lineup off to a promising start, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

The debut of ABC’s horror remake “Night Stalker” (7.1 million) gave ABC more traction than it usually has at 9 p.m. Thursdays, although it was still no match for CBS’ “CSI” (28 million), the night’s most-watched show.

NBC, meanwhile, is scrambling to salvage its low-rated Pentagon thriller “E-Ring,” which starting next week will move from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. It will switch places with “Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” which is set for a head-on collision with ABC’s hit “Lost.”

-- Scott Collins