PRIME-TIME TV RANKINGS

While viewership for the other four major networks was down last week compared with the similar week a year ago, CBS recorded an 11% increase to be the most-watched network for the ninth consecutive week and 26th time in the season’s 32 weeks.

With its first-year drama “The Mentalist” being the week’s most-watched scripted program and the network’s most-watched program, CBS averaged 11.11 million viewers for its prime-time programming between April 27 and Sunday, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

“The Mentalist” won its Tuesday 9 p.m. time period -- beating ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” results show -- and finished fourth for the week with 17.11 million viewers, trailing only Fox Broadcasting’s two “American Idol” episodes and the “Dancing With the Stars” competition program.

Fox was second for the week, averaging 8.85 million viewers, thanks mainly to the 1-2 finish by “American Idol.” The Tuesday competition program led the week, with 23.26 million viewers, while the Wednesday results show was second, with 22.37 million.

Cable viewership for TNT’s coverage of the NBA playoffs enabled it to be the week’s most-watched cable network, averaging 3.45 million viewers.

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Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (April 27- - May 3) 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 American Idol (Tue.) FOX 23.26 2 American Idol (Wed.) FOX 22.37 3 Dancing With the Stars ABC 19.28 4 The Mentalist CBS 17.11 5 NCIS CBS 16.70 *--*

*--* 6 CSI CBS 15.54 7 Dancing With the Stars (Results) ABC 14.72 8 Two and a Half Men CBS 14.16 9 Grey’s Anatomy (Thu., 9 p.m.) ABC 14.11 10 Criminal Minds CBS 13.61 *--*

*--* 11 Desperate Housewives ABC 13.48 12 CSI: NY CBS 12.50 13 Cold Case CBS 12.46 14 60 Minutes CBS 12.31 15 Without a Trace CBS 12.21 *--*

*--* 16 CSI: Miami CBS 12.12 17 Survivor: Tocantins CBS 11.73 18 House FOX 11.69 19 Rules of Engagement CBS 11.30 20 Amazing Race CBS 10.84 *--*

*--* 21 Law & Order: SVU NBC 10.55 22 24 FOX 10.43 23 Criminal Minds (Thu.) CBS 10.23 24 The Unit CBS 9.97 25 Ghost Whisperer CBS 9.79 *--*

*--* 26 Private Practice ABC 9.70 -- Numb3rs CBS 9.70 28 Flashpoint CBS 9.66 29 Fringe FOX 9.62 30 The Biggest Loser NBC 9.26 *--*

*--* 31 The Big Bang Theory CBS 9.24 32 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8 p.m.) ABC 9.18 33 Brothers & Sisters ABC 9.11 34 Lost ABC 9.04 35 Surviving Suburbia ABC 8.98 *--*

*--* 36 Bones FOX 8.94 37 How I Met Your Mother CBS 8.87 38 Celebrity Apprentice NBC 8.68 39 Castle ABC 8.23 40 America’s Funniest Home Videos ABC 7.96 *--*

*--* 41 Law & Order NBC 7.82 42 Lie to Me FOX 7.75 43 The Office NBC 7.41 44 Hell’s Kitchen FOX 6.84 45 Ugly Betty ABC 6.72 *--*

*--* 46 Medium NBC 6.71 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup FOX 6.67 48 Southland NBC 6.66 -- The Simpsons FOX 6.66 50 Family Guy FOX 6.57 *--*

*--* 51 Heroes NBC 6.47 52 20/20 (Fri.) ABC 6.27 53 Chuck NBC 6.20 54 30 Rock NBC 5.95 55 48 Hours Mystery CBS 5.90 *--*

*--* 56 Dateline (Fri.) NBC 5.81 57 Cupid ABC 5.59 58 Manana Para Siempre (Thu.) UNI 5.40 59 American Dad FOX 5.35 60 Manana Para Siempre (Mon.) UNI 5.28 *--*

*--* 61 Manana Para Siempre (Tue.) UNI 5.21 62 Law & Order (Sat.) NBC 5.18 63 My Name Is Earl NBC 5.16 64 King of the Hill FOX 5.14 -- Manana Para Siempre (Wed.) UNI 5.14 *--*

*--* 66 Parks and Recreation NBC 5.07 67 Dateline (Sun., 7 p.m.) NBC 5.06 68 The Unusuals ABC 4.86 69 Manana Para Siempre (Fri.) UNI 4.69 70 Crimetime Saturday CBS 4.63 *--*

*--* 71 Law & Order: SVU (Wed., 9 p.m.) NBC 4.59 72 Supernanny ABC 4.58 73 Cuidado con el Angel (Mon.) UNI 4.31 74 Crimetime Saturday (8 p.m.) CBS 4.28 75 Law & Order: SVU (Sat.) NBC 4.20 *--*

*--* 76 Southland (Sat.) NBC 4.12 77 Wife Swap ABC 4.09 78 Cuidado con el Angel (Tue.) UNI 4.08 -- Cuidado con el Angel (Thu.) UNI 4.08 80 America’s Next Top Model CW 4.01 *--*

*--* 81 Aqui Y Ahora (Tue.) UNI 3.86 82 According to Jim (Tue., 8:30 p.m.) ABC 3.56 83 Mujeres Asesinas (Thu.) UNI 3.55 84 Cuidado con el Angel (Fri.) UNI 3.53 85 Tontas No Van Cielo (Wed.) UNI 3.47 *--*

*--* 86 Movie: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” ABC 3.44 87 Tontas No Van Cielo (Mon.) UNI 3.34 88 Cristina (Mon.) UNI 3.32 89 Howie Do It (8 p.m.) NBC 3.26 90 Tontas No Van Cielo (Tue.) UNI 3.24 *--*

*--* 91 Smallville CW 3.23 92 Prison Break FOX 3.20 93 According to Jim (Tue., 8 p.m.) ABC 3.11 94 Nuestra Belleza (Sun.) UNI 3.07 95 Dollhouse FOX 3.06 *--*

*--* 96 Tontas No Van Cielo (Thu.) UNI 3.05 97 Rosa de Guadalupe (Fri.) UNI 3.03 98 Supernatural CW 2.95 99 Don Francisco Presenta (Wed.) UNI 2.86 100 Howie Do It (8:30) NBC 2.83 *--*

*--* 101 Tontas No Van Cielo (Fri.) UNI 2.60 102 American Dad (Sun., 7:30 p.m.) FOX 2.51 103 Sabado Gigante (Sat.) UNI 2.41 104 One Tree Hill (Mon.) CW 2.27 105 Sit Down Shut Up FOX 2.06 *--*

*--* 106 Quien Tiene Razon? (Sun.) UNI 2.00 107 Gossip Girl (Mon.) CW 1.97 108 Familia P. Luche (Sat.) UNI 1.84 -- The Game CW 1.84 110 90210 CW 1.79 *--*

*--* 111 Reaper CW 1.76 112 Hora Pico (Sun.) UNI 1.74 113 Everybody Hates Chris CW 1.68 114 America’s Next Top Model CW 1.26 115 Movie: “The Transporter 2” CW 1.21 *--*

*--* 116 90210 (Encore) CW 1.12 117 Jericho CW 0.68 *--*

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 CBS 11.11 11.14

FOX 8.85 9.13

ABC 8.37 8.41

UNI 3.61 3.93

CW 1.96 1.85 *--*