• by Wayne Friedman , February 22, 2010

Is CBS finally making some headway on Sunday night with surprise reality show "Undercover Boss"?

The rookie midseason series "Boss" grabbed big initial results after the Super Bowl three weeks ago. But TV analysts typically don't give those program scheduling efforts much weight. The question is whether new programming efforts can sustain themselves after the buzz of the big premiere is over.

Now in its third week, "Boss" has put up big numbers and grabbed a Nielsen preliminary 4.8 rating/11 share on Sunday night.

All this came against the usual Sunday-night ratings leader ABC's "Desperate Housewives," which was a full rating point behind at a 3.7/9, and against NBC's powerful Vancouver Winter Olympics, which earned a 6.2/14 in the 9 p.m. period against "Boss."

TV program executives will note that "Boss" also increased viewership in its second half-hour -- always a sign of strength -- rising from a 4.3/10 to a 5.2/12. "Boss" was down just 8% from a week ago when it aired a "Hooters" episode. Sunday night's edition featured 7-Eleven's chief executive.

ABC's "Housewives" matched its series low with that 3.7 rating, which it hit in January. ABC's 10 p.m. show "Brothers & Sisters" rose to a 2.5/7, up a bit from its recent original episode.

For its part, NBC's Winter Olympic coverage has slipped somewhat, down 19% from its Sunday night a week ago -- a part of NBC's big overall opening weekend for the event. For the night, NBC was at a 5.7/14 among 18-49 viewers, averaging 22.4 million viewers. Still, NBC is up 4% versus the same night in Torino, Italy four years ago.

CBS' "Boss" efforts seemed to help its 10 p.m. show "Cold Case," with its numbers up 10% to a 2.3/6. CBS also bucked the high-flying Olympic competition earlier in the evening, with "Amazing Race" climbing 4% to a 2.9/6.

Another improving network is Fox: After last weekend's crushing performance from NBC, virtually all its comedies improved: "The Simpsons" up 15% to a 3.0/8; "The Cleveland Show," 17% higher to a 2.8/7; and "American Dad" with a 12% gain to a 2.8/7. "Family Guy" -- Fox's usual strongest comedy -- was in reruns on the night, but still got to a 3.1/7.

Among 18-49 viewers for the night, NBC earned a 5.7/14; CBS was at a 2.9/7; ABC came in at a 2.7/7; Fox earned a 2.4/6; and Univision finished with a 0.9/2.