Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008

CBS' drama lineup drew the biggest audience by a wide margin Tuesday, but the FOX combination of "House" and "Fringe" ruled the demographic race.

CBS drew a 9.3 rating/15 share in primetime, beating FOX (7.0/11) by better than 3 million viewers. ABC finished third at 6.2/10. NBC, 5.3/8, came in fourth, and a night of repeats on The CW was well back at 1.1/2.

FOX scored an easy win in the adults 18-49 demographic with a 4.6 rating. NBC, 3.3, edged CBS, 3.2, for second place. ABC managed only a 2.2, and The CW trailed at 0.7.

"NCIS," 11.2/17, drew the night's biggest audience for CBS at 8 p.m. FOX got an 8.0/13 from "House," which was also the night's 18-49 champ. "The Biggest Loser: Families" earned a 4.6/7 for NBC, while ABC's game show "Opportunity Knocks" continued to struggle at 3.4/5. The CW aired a "90210" rerun.

CBS and ABC each scored a 9.4/14 in households at 9 p.m., but "The Mentalist" drew more viewers than "Dancing with the Stars." FOX dropped one spot to third with "Fringe," 5.8/9. "The Biggest Loser" improved a little bit to 4.8/7. A "Privileged" repeat trailed for The CW.

"Without a Trace," 7.3/12, kept CBS on top at 10 p.m. "Law & Order: SVU" averaged 6.4/11 for NBC. The season premiere of "Eli Stone" drew a 5.8/10 for ABC but dropped substantially in its second half-hour.

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