• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 17, 2006

After two weeks on its new night, ABC's big-time hit "Grey's Anatomy" has failed to create much excitement in the ratings. The show is in repeats, and the network has yet to mount a major campaign touting the schedule shift. On Thursday, "Grey's" again finished third in its time slot in the 18-to-49 demo, trailing both Fox and CBS.

Networks usually wait for the new season before implementing a major schedule change, but ABC has already begun airing "Grey's" on Thursdays at 9. With new episodes this fall, the shift is expected to create a highly contested time-period battle between "Grey's," which will move from Sundays, and "CSI" on CBS.

Last Thursday, a repeat of "CSI" topped a "Grey's" repeat in the 18-to-49 demo by 87 percent, but both posted ratings under a 3.0--paltry numbers compared to their strong performances during the past season. It's tough to read much into the "CSI" victory, since its "self-contained" episodes are likely to repeat better than the serial "Grey's."

During the past season, "Grey's" posted an 8.9 in the 18-to-49 demo, while "CSI" posted an 8.4.

ABC shifted "Grey's" to Thursdays on July 6, although the show also continues to air following "Desperate Housewives" on Sundays. Fox reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" won the 9 p.m. time period in the 18-to-49 demo on both July 6 and July 13.