CBS had its full drama lineup in place Tuesday night with the premiere of "The Good Wife," and the network cruised to an overall ratings win for the evening. ABC's new series "No Ordinary Family," meanwhile, got off to a pretty decent start opposite "NCIS" and "Glee."

CBS scored just over 16 million viewers and a 9.9 rating/16 share in primetime and won the total-viewer crown pretty easily over ABC (12.3 million, 7.7/12). FOX came in third with 9.7 million viewers and a 5.6/9. NBC (6.4 million, 4.1/7) finished fourth, while The CW (1.7 million, 1.1/2) was even with its performance last week.

Thanks to "Glee" -- whose Britney Spears episode built on last week's premiere ratings -- FOX led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 4.2 rating. CBS took second with a 3.4, beating out ABC's 3.0 and NBC's 2.5. The CW pulled down a 0.9.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS" (18.8 million viewers, 11.3/18 households)
FOX: "Glee" (13.3 million, 7.6/12)
ABC: "No Ordinary Family" series premiere (10.55 million, 6.3/10)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (6.75 million, 4.3/7)
The CW: "One Tree Hill" (1.8 million, 1.2/2)

18-49 leader: "Glee" (5.8)

9 p.m.

ABC: "Dancing With the Stars" results (17.1 million, 10.8/17)
CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" (16.45 million, 10.0/16)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (7.5 million, 4.6/7)
FOX: "Raising Hope" (7.5 million, 4.4/7)/"Running Wilde" (4.7 million, 2.9/4)

18-49 leader: "Dancing With the Stars" and "NCIS: LA" tied at 3.7

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Good Wife" season premiere (12.9 million, 8.3/14)
ABC: "Detroit 1-8-7" (9.2 million, 5.9/10)
NBC: "Parenthood" (4.85 million, 3.3/6)

18-49 leader: "The Good Wife" (2.5)

The premiere of "Law & Order: Los Angeles" won its time period Wednesday, but CBS led the other two hours of primetime and captured the night's biggest audience. The night's other new shows all dipped a bit from their premieres last week,; "The Defenders" and "Undercovers" took the biggest hits, each falling by more than 1.5 million viewers.

CBS brought in 12.3 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/13 share among households for the evening, beating second-place NBC (8.95 million, 5.7/10) by a pretty comfortable margin. ABC (7.3 million, 4.7/8) came in third. FOX drew 6.3 million viewers and a 3.7/6 for fourth place, while The CW (2.6 million, 1.7/3) was steady with last week.

The Eye was the only network to score above a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49, finishing with a 3.2. FOX took second in the demo with a 2.9, and NBC, 2.5, edged ABC, 2.4, for third. The CW posted a 1.1.

Wednesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "Survivor: Nicaragua" (12.2 million viewers, 7.1/12 households)
ABC: "The Middle" (8.3 million, 5.3/9)/"Better With You" (7.1 million, 4.6/8)
NBC: "Undercovers" (7.1 million, 4.6/8)
FOX: "Hell's Kitchen" (6 million, 3.5/6)
The CW: "America's Next Top Model" (2.9 million, 1.9/3)

18-49 leader: "Survivor: Nicaragua" (3.4)

9 p.m.

CBS: "Criminal Minds" (14.4 million, 8.8/14)
ABC: "Modern Family" (11.9 million, 8.6/14)/"Cougar Town" (7.1 million, 4.5/7)
NBC: "Law & Order: SVU" (9.25 million, 5.9/10)
FOX: "Hell's Kitchen" (6.6 million, 3.8/6)
The CW: "Hellcats" (2.25 million, 1.5/2)

18-49 leader: "Modern Family" (4.5)

10 p.m.

NBC: "Law & Order: Los Angeles" series premiere (10.5 million, 6.7/12)
CBS: "The Defenders" (10.4 million, 6.6/12)
ABC: "The Whole Truth" (4.7 million, 3.3/6)

18-49 leader: "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (3.1)

Ratings cooled across the board Thursday, with pretty much every show -- new and old -- on the schedule giving back some of its premiere-week numbers.

Like last week, though, CBS ended the night on top, with "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Mentalist" leading the way. New comedies "$#*! My Dad Says" and "Outsourced" both fell significantly, as did ABC's drama "My Generation."

For the night, CBS scored 13.2 million viewers and an 8.1 rating/14 share among households. ABC (8.1 million, 5.4/9) came in second, a little bit ahead of FOX (7.5 million, 4.7/8). NBC managed only 5.1 million viewers and a 3.1/5, which was good enough for fourth. The CW drew 3 million people and a 1.9/3.

CBS also led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 3.3 rating, half a point better than ABC's 2.8. NBC, 2.3, edged out FOX, 2.2, for third place. The CW earned a 1.3.

Thursday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "The Big Bang Theory" (13 million viewers, 7.6/13 households)/"$#*! My Dad Says" (10.4 million, 6.3/11)
FOX: "Bones" (9.6 million, 6.0/10)
NBC: "Community" (4.5 million, 2.8/5)/"30 Rock" (5.7 million, 3.4/6)
ABC: "My Generation" (3.9 million, 2.7/5)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" (3.2 million, 2.1/4)

18-49 leader: "The Big Bang Theory" (4.3)

9 p.m.

CBS: "CSI" (13.3 million, 8.3/13)
ABC: "Grey's Anatomy" (12.2 million, 7.9/13)
NBC: "The Office" (7.3 million, 4.2/7)/"Outsourced" (5.8 million, 3.4/5)
FOX: "Fringe" (5.4 million, 3.4/5)
The CW: "Nikita" (2.7 million, 1.7/3)

18-49 leader: "Grey's Anatomy" (4.4)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Mentalist" (14.55 million, 9.1/16)
ABC: "Private Practice" (8 million, 5.6/10)
NBC: "The Apprentice" (3.7 million, 2.4/4)

18-49 leader: "The Mentalist" (3.0)

Now that the new shows have settled in, we see a ratings dip overall on Friday, although CBS still handily won the night.

CBS averaged 8.9 million and a 5.7 rating/11 share in households for the night, well ahead of NBC's second place finish with 5.7 million and a 3.9/7. Then came ABC (4.1 million, 2.7/5), FOX (2.5 million, 1.7/5) and The CW (2.4 million, 1.5/3).

In the coveted 18-49 adult demo, CBS also led with a 1.6 rating, followed by NBC, 1.2, ABC, 1.1, The CW, 1.0, and finally FOX 0.8.

Friday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "Medium" (5.9 million viewers, 3.9/8 households)
NBC: "Dateline: NBC" (5.6 million, 3.9/8)
ABC: "Modern Family" rerun (4.0 million, 2.6/5)/"The Middle" rerun (3.2 million, 2.0/4)
FOX: "House" rerun (2.6 million, 1.8/3)
The CW: "Smallville" (2.4 million, 1.5/3)

18-49 leader: "Dateline: NBC" and "Medium" (1.2)

9 p.m.

CBS: "CSI: NY" (9.7 million, 6.2/11)
NBC: "Dateline: NBC" (6.7 million, 4.6/8)
ABC: "No Ordinary Family" rerun (4.1 million, 2.6/5)
FOX: "The Good Guys" (2.5 million, 1.7/3)
The CW: "Supernatural" (2.4 million, 1.5/3)

18-49 leader: "CSI: NY" (1.7)

10 p.m.

CBS: "Blue Bloods" (11.2 million, 7.1/13)
NBC: "Outlaw" (4.7 million, 3.2/6)
ABC: "20/20" (4.5 million, 3.2/6)

18-49 leader: "Blue Bloods" (2.0)

None of the broadcast networks' rookie series has cracked the top 10, and 'Lone Star' and 'My Generation' have bitten the dust. But returning programs and NFL games have fared well.

Some programs this fall are delivering very strong ratings. Just not new programs. If TV executives want encouragement from the numbers, they have to turn to football and returning series.

Two weeks into the fall TV season, the broadcast networks have gotten off to one of their most sluggish starts ever. For the first time in at least five years, not a single new show has cracked the top 10 either among total viewers or the advertising-friendly demographic of adults aged 18 to 49, according to the Nielsen Co. Even CBS' remake of "Hawaii Five-0," with its familiar brand name and 10 p.m. Monday time slot, has failed to sizzle and has tumbled compared with "CSI: Miami" last year.

Then there are the outright bombs. After two airings Fox axed its critically acclaimed drama about a Texas con man, "Lone Star." A pair of episodes was likewise all it took for ABC to yank the critically unheralded youth soap "My Generation." Industry watchers predict that ABC's legal drama "The Whole Truth" and NBC's Jimmy Smits vehicle "Outlaw" will be next on the road to oblivion. As a result, Fox — the No. 1 network among young adults for several years running — and ABC both saw their premiere-week ratings slide by double digits compared with a year ago.

As is customary, poor marketing has been cited as a factor in the demise of some new shows, especially "Lone Star." In that case, network promotion experts were presented the difficult task of trying to persuade a recession-weary public to care about a hotshot young crook who two-timed his wife and bilked people out of their life savings.

But there may be a simpler explanation: The new shows just aren't that good. Even before the season started, TV executives and critics alike grumbled that the freshman class lacked any series with breakout potential. Viewers seem to agree, at least so far.

"There simply weren't many shows with positive preseason buzz," said Steve Sternberg, a veteran TV analyst who writes a subscription-based newsletter for media buyers. "I keep reading how the press is surprised about 'Lone Star,' but I don't know a single one of my peers who thought it would do well."

The legacy networks also face a tougher job these days because cable rivals now churn out so much original programming during the summer, blunting the effect of the broadcasters' marketing push. In July, TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles" — the kind of star-driven crime franchise broadcasters used to own exclusively — set a record as the most-watched cable series launch ever, with 7.6 million total viewers.

"Fewer and fewer people are watching each broadcast net during the summer," Sternberg said. "Their stubborn refusal to cross-promote one another's shows, as cable has done so effectively for years, is the main reason ratings aren't higher for new shows. I'll bet that most people never even heard of more than two or three of the new series."

Yet while the new shows have clearly disappointed, there are still positive signs for the networks. Chief among them: The overall erosion in viewership for broadcast TV appears to be slowing at last. The five over-the-air, English-language networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CW) are still down in total viewers compared with year-ago figures, but it's by the smallest amount — 2% — in at least four seasons.

Viewers have turned out in droves for favorite returning shows, such as Fox's high school musical "Glee," which is soaring to record ratings in its second season. Meanwhile, NFL games on CBS, NBC and Fox, as well as ESPN, are hitting all-time highs.

"Many viewers opted for familiar favorites versus the newbies that launched against them," said Shari Anne Brill, an independent media analyst who pointed to the hard-fought battleground of 9 p.m. Mondays, where "Lone Star" got crushed against ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and CBS' comedy block.

CBS has done a particularly good job of hanging on to its audience. Ratings for its premiere week were flat compared with last year's among young adults, even though it took a big hit by downgrading " CSI: NY" to Friday nights. One savvy move that paid off was switching the hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" from Mondays to Thursdays, giving the network a successful comedy block on the latter night for the first time in decades.

NBC was the only network to show premiere-week growth, up 11% in young adults. True, much of that was due to last year's disastrous experiment putting Jay Leno in prime time, which made it relatively easy to put up better numbers this time around.

And it's far too early to count out all the new series. "No Ordinary Family" could still grow into a solid performer for ABC; ditto the sitcom "Raising Hope" for Fox and NBC's "Law & Order: Los Angeles."

As Brill pointed out, "Successful early returns in Week 1 are not necessarily a predictor for success.… There have been many shows with great premises and promising pilots that were not executed well in subsequent episodes. Remember 'Flash Forward'? And," she added, referring to a notorious NBC bomb spun off the massive hit "Friends," "how about that show 'Joey'?"

Apparently America is more excited about Giants-Da Bears than Jets-Dolphins, because Sunday Night Football earned NBC a much bigger win than the previous week. CBS was still safely in second place, but FOX jumped ABC for third with the help of some afternoon NFL football spilling over into primetime.

In total viewers, NBC averaged 15.3 million and a 9.2 rating/15 share in households. CBS took in 12 million viewers and a 7.3/12. FOX and ABC were neck and neck, with FOX eking out third place with 9.6 million, 5.6/9 to ABC's 9.5 million, 5.8/9. The CW was in fifth place with 1.4 million, 0.9/1.

Football likewise ruled the 18-49 demo, which NBC took with a 5.7. But FOX jumped up into second with a 4.3, followed by CBS (3.2), ABC (2.9) and the CW (0.4).


Sunday hour by hour:

7 p.m.

FOX: NFL football (14.3 million, 8.4/15)
CBS: "60 Minutes" (12.5 million, 7.9/14)
NBC: "Football Night in America" (7.2 million, 4.5/8)
ABC: "America's Funniest Home Videos" (7.1 million, 4.0/7)

18-49 leader: NFL Football (6.0)

8 p.m.

NBC: Sunday Night Football (17.4 million, 10.2/16)
CBS: "The Amazing Race" (10.7 million, 6.3/10)
ABC: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8.6 million, 5.2/8)
FOX: "The Simpsons" (8.6 million, 5.0/8)/"The Cleveland Show" (6.7 million, 3.7/6)

18-49 leader: Sunday Night Football (6.3)

9 p.m.

NBC: Sunday Night Football (19.5 million, 11.7/18)
CBS: "Undercover Boss" (13.1 million, 7.5/11)
ABC: "Desperate Housewives" (13 million, 8.1/12)
FOX: "Family Guy" (7.9 million, 4.6/7)/"American Dad" (6.1 million, 3.6/5)

18-49 leader: Sunday Night Football (7.2)

10 p.m.

NBC: Sunday Night Football (17 million, 10.5/17)
CBS: "CSI: Miami" (11.8 million, 7.3/12)
ABC: "Brothers & Sisters" (9.3 million, 6.1/10)

18-49 leader: Sunday Night Football (6.9)