• by Paul Gough , November 13, 2002

For the sixth time in seven weeks, CBS pushed ahead of the pack in ratings with four shows in the top 10 and a lead in viewers and households during the November sweeps.

In the week ending Sunday, CBS earned a 9.3 rating and a 15 share, placing it ahead of second-place NBC’s 8.6 rating and 14 share. ABC followed with a 6.7 rating and an 11 share. Fox earned a 4.5 rating and a 7 share. The WB had a 3.1 rating and a 5 share, UPN had a 2.5 rating and a 4 share. And PAX received a 0.9 rating and a 1 share.

The top-rated show was again CSI, with earned a 17.2 rating and a 26 share that pushed it just ahead of Friends, which had a 17 rating and a 26 share. Two other shows in NBC’s Thursday night lineup – ER (15.5 rating, 25 share) and Will & Grace (13.4 rating and 20 share) – took third and fourth place. Everybody Loves Raymond took fifth place for CBS with a 13.1 rating and a 19 share.

NBC’s special 40-minute episodes of Friends, Scrubs and Will & Grace plus a regular-size ER carried the network to its biggest Thursday win since May 16. Scrubs had a 10.7 rating and a 16 share to land in 12th place. Survivor: Thailand, which battles against Friends in the 8 p.m. slot, was ranked 10th with an 11.3 rating and a 17 share.

NBC also continued its lead in 18-49 during the sweeps and said it was up over the same period a year ago. NBC led the week by 0.7 of a rating point in adults 18-49. The network also leads among adults 18-54, adults 25-54 and is within 776,000 in total viewers. Averages among 18-49 for the sweeps are NBC (5.1 rating, 13 share), CBS (4.2/11), ABC (3.7/10), Fox (3.5/9), The WB (1.9/5) and UPN (1.7/5).

ABC’s only entry in the Top 10 was #6 for Monday Night Football, which scored a 12.8 rating and a 21 share. Law and Order was in seventh place with a 12.6 rating and a 21 share. CSI: Miami was eighth with a 12.1 rating and a 19 share and Law and Order: SVU scored an 11.6 rating and a 21 share.