Fast National ratings for Thursday, May 15, 2008

Thursday's ratings followed their usual pattern, with CBS snagging the overall win and ABC leading among the adults 18-49 that advertisers love.

CBS averaged an 8.7 rating/14 share for the night, topping ABC's 7.8/13. NBC finished third at 5.1/8. FOX, 4.7/8, took fourth, and The CW was fifth at 2.1/3.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, ABC's 4.5 rating led the way. NBC snuck into second with a 3.5, edging CBS' 3.4. FOX averaged 2.3 and The CW 1.4.

ABC led a fairly quiet 8 p.m. hour with "Ugly Betty," 5.9/10. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" drew a 5.3/9 for FOX, narrowly beating a "CSI" rerun on CBS. The season finale of "My Name Is Earl," 4.6/8, put NBC in fourth. "Smallville" delivered a 2.4/4 for The CW.

The "CSI" finale (11.1/17) brought CBS the night's biggest audience at 9 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy" earned a 10.3/16 for ABC (and was the night's top show in the 18-49 demo). NBC moved up to third with "The Office," 5.0/8. "Don't Forget the Lyrics" took fourth for FOX. "Supernatural" ended its season on The CW with a 1.9/3.

At 10 p.m., "Without a Trace" posted a 9.6/16 for CBS, beating the 7.2/12 for "Lost" on ABC. The season finale of "ER" on NBC came in at 5.5/9.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.