• by Wayne Friedman , February 5, 2010

February sweeps first night was a tight scramble among three networks -- ABC, Fox and CBS -- with the alphabet network taking top honors.

But it came with some cost, as a couple of typically big Thursday shows struggled against their last original episodes. For example, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was down 4% to a Nielsen preliminary 4.5 rating/12 share, Fox's "Bones" dropped 8% to a 3.3/10 and its "Fringe" lost 13% to a 2.6/7. ABC's "Private Practice" receded 6% to a 3.3/10.

However, NBC, in a distant fourth place, actually improved for all of its Thursday shows versus its most recent original outing -- save for "Jay Leno."

"Community" was up 5% to a 2.2/7, while "Parks & Recreation" soared to 15%, to a season high of 2.3/6. "The Office" was up 3% to a 3.8/10. "The Office" now regularly comes in at second place in the 9-9:30 p.m. time slot to "Grey's Anatomy," pushing CBS' "CSI" into third place.

CBS lost ground at 8 p.m. -- a typical strong spot -- with a "Surviving Survivor" special, at a 2.4/7. Fox's "Bones" won the time period. But after that, CBS improved: "CSI" was up a bit to a 3.2/9 and "The Mentalist" gained 6% to a 3.3/9.

CW's "Vampire Diaries" grew in all its key demographics -- 7% in women 18-34 at a 3.0/9, as well as season-best numbers in adults 18-34 (2.3/7) and women 18-49 (2.4/6).

For the night, ABC won with a 3.1/8 among 18-49 viewers; it also easily bested all comers among younger 18-34 viewers, at a 3.0/9. Fox and CBS were right behind ABC against 18-49 viewers, both with a 3.0.8. NBC was next at a 2.3/6, followed by Univision at a 1.8/5 and CW with a 1.5/4.

Among younger viewers 18-34, Fox and NBC tied for second place with a 2.4/7, followed by Univision with a 2.1/6 and CBS and CW, both with a 1.8/6.