'Lost' and 'Stars' are strong, but 'The Nine' slumps

Although CBS won the night overall and ABC took the key demographic, the real Wednesday stories may be NBC's sluggish new comedies and a big second week drop for "The Nine."

CBS averaged a 9.8 rating/15 share overall, nipping the 9.4/15 for ABC. FOX's baseball-fueled evening did a 5.7/9, better than the 5.3/8 for NBC. The CW's Wednesday had a 2.9/5.

ABC turned the tables among adults 18-49, doing a 4.8 rating in the all-important demo. CBS was right behind with a 4.5 rating, followed by the 2.9 for NBC and FOX's 2.6 rating. The CW's 2.1 rating took fifth.

At 8 p.m., ABC got a 12.3/19 from the "Dancing with the Stars" results show to easily win the hour. CBS' "Jericho" maintained the audience from its first three weeks and finished second. FOX was third with a 5.2/8 for baseball, just ahead of the premieres of NBC's endlessly promoted "30 Rock" (5.5/9) and "Twenty Good Years" (4.7/7). The NBC comedies did average more viewers than the Tigers-A's on FOX. The CW's "America's Next Top Model" was fifth with a 3.7/6.

CBS' "Criminal Minds" had a 10.9/16 in the 9 p.m. hour, beating the 10.2/15 for ABC's "Lost," though the ABC drama averaged more viewers. FOX's baseball was third, outdoing the 5.0/8 for NBC's "Biggest Loser." The CW was last with the 2.2/3 for "One Tree Hill."

"CSI: NY" helped CBS close the night strong with an 11.5/19. NBC's "Dateline" easily outperformed former time slot occupant "Kidnapped" and delivered higher ratings than "The Nine," which slumped to a 5.7/9 in its second week on ABC.

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