• by Wayne Friedman , May 1, 2009

Fox dominates the early part of the week with "Idol," but ABC still grabs the headlines before the weekend.

ABC took another Thursday night May sweep win with slightly better numbers than a week before -- thanks to the bigger numbers of "Private Practice" with its season finale.

ABC was at a Nielsen Media Research 3.6/10 versus a 3.3/9 the week before. CBS, NBC and Fox, each moved up one-tenth of a rating point week-to-week -- at a 3.2/9, 2.6/7, and 2.5/7 respectively -- with CW gaining two-tenths of a rating point in the 18-49 demographic and the same gain among its more core 18-34 viewers (both at a 1.4/4).

ABC's "Practice" earned a 3.6/10, winning the time period against a repeat of "Criminal Minds" on CBS (a 2.4/7), and further slipping "Southland" from NBC (a 2.1/6). "Practice" was up from its 3.4/10 the week before.

ABC also easily owned the 9 p.m. hour with "Grey's Anatomy" earning a 5.0/13. But "Grey's" competition seems to have changed. NBC's "The Office" has replaced CBS' "CSI" as its main competitor, especially among 18-49 viewers.

During the 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. hour, "Office" took a 3.7/10 versus a 3.5/9 in 18-49 for "CSI." "Office" easily beat "CSI" in the younger 18-34 demos -- this week at a 4.2/12 versus a 2.0/6.

Good news for NBC -- its comedy "Parks and Recreation" remains somewhat steady, with a 2.3/7 at 8:30 p.m. "30 Rock" fell a bit to a 2.9/8 from a 3.1/8 the week before.

For CBS, there was consistency again in the 8 p.m. hour, as "Survivor: Tocantins" won the time period with a 3.6/11. But it landed in third place at the end of the evening with "Harper's Island" at a 2.0/5 rating.

Fox was also consistent week-to-week with its 8 p.m. hour "Bones" at a 2.3/7 -- but its "Hell's Kitchen" fell week-to-week, now at a 2.8/7.

CW made some gains. "Supernatural" rose to a 1.3/4 from a 1.2/3 the week before among its 18-34 viewers; "Smallville" moved up a bit to a 1.5/5 from a 1.3/4.