• by Wayne Friedman , December 11, 2009

With ABC in repeats on the second Thursday in December, it was clear sailing for CBS -- especially with "Survivor: Samoa" near its season-ender.

CBS easily won among 18-49 viewers with a Nielsen preliminary 4.1/11 for the night. NBC and Fox were well off the pace, with a 2.7/8 and a 2.7/7, respectively. Univision was next at a 1.3/4, followed by usual Thursday leader ABC at a dismal 1.2/3. CW, also in repeats, was at a 0.7/2.

"Survivor" reached a 4.3/12 -- up 10% versus the week before, dominating the 8 p.m hour. At 9 p.m., "CSI" earned a strong 4.1/11, up nearly 20% versus the week before. "The Mentalist" won the 10 p.m. hour with a 3.8/11 -- falling about flat versus the week before, but double the ratings of its nearest competitor, NBC's "Jay Leno Show," which had an above-average 1.9/5.

With ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" in reruns, NBC laid claim to the top spot at 9 p.m. with "The Office" getting to a 4.4/12. The show was up 7% versus the week before.

Other NBC shows perked up as well: "Community" earned a 2.3/7, 5% higher; "Parks & Recreation" was also at a 2.3/7, for a 10% gain; and "30 Rock" was at a 3.5/9, for a 17% improvement.

Fox headed north with "Bones" at 8 p.m., running second to "Survivor" with a 3.1/9 -- up a bit from the week before. "Fringe" slipped a little to a 2.3 rating, from a 2.5 rating the week before.

NBC grabbed the younger viewers for the night -- its typical strength on Thursdays -- with a 3.0/9 among 18-34 viewers. CBS was next at a 2.8/8; Fox earned a 2.3/7; Univision came in at 1.5/5; ABC had a 0.9/3; and CW finished with a 0.8/2.