• by Wayne Friedman , April 13, 2010

ABC continued to have rising fortunes for Monday night.

The network's "Dancing with the Stars" sustained its resurgence with a Nielsen preliminary 4.8 rating/13 share among 18-49 viewers. This is down a bit from last week's 5.1/14.

But perhaps the most eye-opening part of the story is at 10 p.m., where "Castle" -- the sleepy second-year drama -- hit with a strong 3.4 rating/10 share. Not only did it win the period, but it did so against a CBS original "CSI: Miami," which ended up with a 3.1/9.

ABC was down a bit to a 4.2/12 on the night from a 4.4/12 -- still good for first place among those networks' competing in the 18-49 race.

A week ago, CBS had its way with everyone, thanks to its NCAA Men's Basketball championship game. Typically, CBS also grabs high marks on Monday as a result of its high-rated comedies.

This time around, its shows were off the numbers versus their respective last original episodes: "How I Met Your Mother" sank to a 2.8 rating/9, down 22%; "Two and a Half Men" slipped 10% to a 4.6/12; "The Big Bang Theory" went south 6% to a 5.0/13; and "CSI: Miami" lost 3% to a 3.1/9. Only "Rules of Engagement" was up -- 8% -- to a 2.8/8.

Fox's "House," a usually strong Monday night contender, could only deliver a 4.0/12, which is equal to its season low for an original. Fox's "24" inched up to a 2.6/6 from its last original.

NBC offered two repeat shows for the night: "Chuck" and "Law & Order." Only "Trauma" had an original episode, which pulled in a weak 1.3/3.

CW's season-ender for "Life Unexpected" did climb 15% among the network's core 18-34 viewers. But it did not get over the 2 rating mark, only reaching a 1.5. The better-rated "Gossip Girl" fell 17% in the women 18-34 demo to a 2.0.

Among 18-49 viewers, CBS earned a 3.6/10; Fox took a 3.3/9; Univision scored a 1.4/4; NBC came in at a 1.1/3; and CW finished at a 0.9/3.