'Dancing with the Stars' draws a crowd, but CBS gets an 18-49 win

Fast National ratings for Monday, Sept. 29, 2008

ABC rose above the ratings pack Monday thanks to its ballroom full of celebrities, but CBS managed to snag the top spot in the demographic race.

ABC's 10.5 rating/16 share easily won the overall race over CBS' 7.3/11. NBC came in third with a 4.7/8. FOX, 3.4/5, finished a point ahead of The CW, 2.4/4.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS drew a 3.9 rating to finish just in front of ABC, 3.8. NBC took third at 3.2, while FOX, 2.0, edged The CW, 1.9, for fourth.

"Dancing with the Stars" dominated the 8 p.m. hour for ABC with a 12.3/19. CBS was a distant second with "The Big Bang Theory," 5.5/9, and " How I Met Your Mother," 5.6/8. The season premiere of "Chuck" on NBC delivered a 4.0/6, topping " Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" on FOX. " Gossip Girl" scored a 2.4/4 for The CW.

"Dancing with the Stars" improved a little to 12.7/19 at 9 p.m. CBS stayed in second with "Two and a Half Men," 8.6/12, and "Worst Week," 5.8/9. NBC's "Heroes" earned a 5.7/8. "Prison Break," 3.4/5, kept FOX in fourth, while The CW held steady with "One Tree Hill."

CBS took over at 10 p.m. with "CSI: Miami," 9.3/15. "Boston Legal," 6.4/10, finished second for ABC. The season premiere of "Life" posted a 4.6/7 for NBC.

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