ABC has more than just some fancy footwork

ABC was the most-watched network for the third time in the season’s 10 weeks -- and not just because of the final two “Dancing With the Stars” episodes of the fall, according to figures released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

ABC had each of the five most-watched prime-time programs between Nov. 26 and Sunday, averaging 12.45 million viewers for the week, its largest weekly audience since the week of Nov. 13, 2006, outside of Academy Awards week in February.

The premiere of the animated holiday special “Shrek the Halls” was third for the week, behind the two “Dancing With the Stars” episodes, with 20.83 million viewers, making it the most-watched animated holiday special since the Nov. 28, 1995, airing of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on CBS.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which followed, was fifth for the week with 18.53 million viewers, as the 41-year-old animated special increased its viewership by 69% over last year’s 10.96 million.

The final “Dancing With the Stars” results show was the second-most-watched prime-time program of the season, despite a 10% drop in viewership from last fall’s finale, with an average of 24.87 million viewers tuning in Nov. 27 to watch race-car driver Helio Castroneves be announced as the winner.

Only the season premiere of CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” on Sept. 27 drew more viewers this season -- 25.22 million. A year ago, however, the “Dancing With the Stars” finale averaged 27.52 million as retired football star Emmitt Smith was named the winner.

One reason for the decline was that “Dancing’s” opening hour had tougher competition this year, facing Fox’s “House,” which was seventh for the week with 16.96 million viewers.

Despite a series-low 11.69 million viewers, the ABC comedy “Samantha Who” extended its streak of being the most-watched new series for every week it has aired to seven weeks.

The season premiere of “Notes From the Underbelly” that followed “Samantha Who” was able to retain only 64% of its lead-in audience, finishing third in the 9:30-10 p.m. time slot last Monday and 43rd for the week with 7.45 million viewers.

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Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Nov. 26-Dec. 2) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 286 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.

*--* -- PROGRAM NETWORK VIEWERS 1 Dancing With the Stars (Tue.) ABC 24.87 2 Dancing With the Stars (Mon.) ABC 24.23 3 “Shrek the Halls” ABC 20.83 4 Desperate Housewives ABC 20.65 5 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” ABC 18.53

6 NCIS CBS 17.04 7 House (Tue.) FOX 16.96 8 Criminal Minds CBS 16.23 9 CSI: Miami CBS 15.58 10 Two and a Half Men CBS 15.26

11 Extreme Makeover: Home Ed. ABC 14.40 12 Sunday Night Football NBC 14.38 13 CSI: NY CBS 14.19 14 Survivor: China CBS 13.57 15 “A Charlie Brown Christmas” ABC 13.54

16 The OT (football post-game) FOX 13.32 17 60 Minutes CBS 13.24 18 Brothers & Sisters ABC 12.56 19 CSI CBS 12.33 20 Law And Order: SVU (Tue.) NBC 12.29

21 Heroes NBC 11.89 22 Samantha Who? ABC 11.69 23 Rules of Engagement CBS 11.58 24 “Hallmark Hall of Fame” CBS 11.35 25 Amazing Race 12 CBS 11.26

26 “BCS Selection Show” FOX 11.20 27 “College Football: Big 12 Championship Game” ABC 10.84 28 The Unit CBS 10.56 29 Deal or No Deal (Fri.) NBC 10.49 30 “The Polar Express” ABC 10.37

31 Pushing Daisies ABC 9.99 32 Without a Trace CBS 9.76 33 Bones (Tue.) FOX 9.68 34 “Football Pre-Game” (Sun.) NBC 9.25 35 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? FOX 8.97

36 “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” NBC 8.87 37 Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Thu.) FOX 8.72 38 E.R. NBC 8.71 39 Grey’s Anatomy ABC 8.69 40 Chuck (Mon.) NBC 8.41

41 How I Met Your Mother CBS 7.91 42 America’s Funniest Home Videos ABC 7.77 43 Notes From the Underbelly ABC 7.45 44 “Jesse Stone: Sea Change” CBS 7.39 45 House (Mon.) FOX 7.35

46 The Big Bang Theory CBS 7.34 -- Las Vegas NBC 7.34 48 Biggest Loser 4 NBC 7.28 49 Numb3rs CBS 7.27 50 Football Night in America, Part 3 NBC 7.20

-- 20/20 ABC 7.20 52 Kid Nation CBS 7.12 53 Family Guy FOX 7.05 -- Destilando Amor (Thu.) UNI 7.05 55 Dirty Sexy Money ABC 7.04

56 Kitchen Nightmares FOX 7.03 57 Destilando Amor (Mon.) UNI 6.78 58 The Simpsons FOX 6.70 59 48 Hours Mystery CBS 6.65 60 My Name Is Earl NBC 6.62

61 Destilando Amor (Wed.) UNI 6.57 62 Destilando Amor (Tue.) UNI 6.50 63 Cane CBS 6.48 64 “Radio City Music Hall’s 75th Anniv. Special” NBC 6.46 65 Destilando Amor (Fri.) UNI 6.43

66 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 6.41 67 Bones (Mon.) FOX 6.32 68 America’s Most Wanted FOX 6.30 69 Life NBC 6.28 70 Til Death (8:30 p.m.) FOX 6.22

71 Ugly Betty ABC 6.15 72 “My Night at the Grammys” CBS 6.08 73 Journeyman NBC 6.05 74 Bionic Woman NBC 5.92 75 Scrubs NBC 5.91

76 The Office NBC 5.90 77 30 Rock NBC 5.82 78 Til Death (8 p.m.) FOX 5.74 79 American Dad FOX 5.72 80 Friday Night Lights NBC 5.47

81 October Road ABC 5.43 82 Law & Order: SVU (Sat.) NBC 5.41 83 Cops (8 p.m.) FOX 5.39 84 Big Shots ABC 5.29 85 America’s Top Model 3 (Wed.) CW 5.04

86 College Football (Sat.) ABC 4.95 87 Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fri.) FOX 4.85 88 Familia P. Luche UNI 4.55 -- Friday Night Smackdown CW 4.55 90 Football Night in America, Part 2 NBC 4.24

91 Cristina UNI 3.98 92 Retro P. Luche UNI 3.85 93 Aqui y Ahora UNI 3.70 94 Bailando UNI 3.63 95 Yo Amo Juan Querendon (Thu.) UNI 3.44

96 Amar Sin Limites (Thu.) UNI 3.42 97 Amar Sin Limites (Mon.) UNI 3.31 98 Don Francisco Presenta UNI 3.30 99 Amar Sin Limites (Tue.) UNI 3.24 100 Yo Amo Juan Querendon (Tue.) UNI 3.18

101 Yo Amo Juan Querendon (Wed.) UNI 3.15 102 Yo Amo Juan Querendon (Mon.) UNI 3.14 103 Yo Amo Juan Querendon (Fri.) UNI 2.99 104 Amar Sin Limites (Wed.) UNI 2.93 -- Gossip Girl CW 2.93

106 Amar Sin Limites (Fri.) UNI 2.91 107 Chuck (Sat.) NBC 2.81 108 The Game CW 2.79 109 Como Ama Una Mujer UNI 2.77 110 Smallville CW 2.73

111 Beauty and the Geek CW 2.52 112 Sabado Gigante UNI 2.33 *--*

Network averages

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

*--* Network Last week Season to date ABC 12.45 11.33

CBS 10.55 11.63

FOX 8.32 8.87

NBC 8.20 8.41

UNI 3.97 3.58

CW 2.65 2.82 *--*