'Survivor' Remains Tough, 'Vampire' Bites Competition

CBS' Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

Coming into the home stretch of the 2009-2010 season, the broadcast networks started off the May sweeps period elbowing each other for position.

First blood went to CBS on Thursday night with a still surprisingly strong "Survivor: Heroes & Villains," which grabbed top show honors with a Nielsen preliminary 4.0 rating/13 share among 18-49 viewers. CBS' overall Thursday's average posted a first place 3.4/10 with 18-49 viewers to second place ABC's 2.8/8.

At 8 p.m., Fox's "Bones" and ABC's "FlashForward" were no match for "Survivor," the veteran decade-plus-long reality show. While "Bones" earned an honorable 2.6/8, ABC's sci-fi drama could only muster a 1.55 rating/5 share. For the second week in a row, the CW's "Vampire Diaries" edged out the ABC show among 18-49 viewers.

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All CBS shows for the night were up from their most recent original episodes: "Survivor" by 11% to a 4.0/13; "CSI" by 7% to a 3.0/9; and "The Mentalist" 7% higher to a 3.2/10.

Apart from "FlashForward," ABC put its best foot forward for the start of the May sweeps: "Grey's Anatomy" gained 9% to a 3.8/12 and "Private Practice" rose 15% to a 3.0/9.

NBC also posted gains across its entire lineup: "Community" (25%) at 2.0/7; "Parks & Recreation" (flat) at 2.0/6; "The Office" (13%) at 3.6/11; "30 Rock" (16%) at 2.9/8; and "The Marriage Ref" (5%) at 2.0/6. Still, it wasn't enough to break through into the one or two top positions held by CBS and ABC. NBC averaged a 2.4/7 for the night.

Fox's "Bones" was its best performer, running at 8 p.m., with the network's 9 p.m. show "Fringe" still apparently on the fringe, only reaching a 2.0/6 -- admittedly against some tough competition during the time period. Fox finished off with a 2.3/7 Thursday average.

Univision had its regularly consistent Thursday numbers: a 1.6/5.

CBS' sister network, the CW, had taken a bite, with "Vampire Diaries" besting ABC's "FlashForward" as well as maintaining its strong women 18-34 numbers, at a 2.4 rating. "Supernatural" was about a rating point behind: at a 1.5 rating with women 18-34.

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