'Housewives' is the night's top show, but CBS gets overall win

Fast National ratings for Sunday, April 19, 2009

The return of "Desperate Housewives" to ABC gave the network a boost Sunday, but not a big enough one to unseat CBS from the overall top spot.

CBS averaged a 6.6 rating/11 share in primetime, topping ABC's 6.0/10. NBC finished third in households with a 4.2/7. FOX, 3.0/5, came in fourth, while The CW managed only a 0.6/1.

ABC did take the top spot among adults 18-49 with a 3.1 rating. FOX took second in the advertisers' favorite demo with a 2.5, followed by NBC, 2.3, and CBS, 2.0. The CW drew a paltry 0.3.

CBS scored a 7.7/14 at 7 p.m. with " 60 Minutes." " America's Funniest Home Videos," 4.4/7, put ABC in second. The Miss USA pageant on NBC delivered a slight 2.6/5, but that was good enough to beat an "American Dad" rerun, 1.6/3, and the 250th episode of " King of the Hill," 2.0/4, on FOX. The CW ran a "Jericho" repeat.

" The Amazing Race," 6.2/10, kept CBS on top at 8 o'clock. A repeat of " Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 4.6/7, took second for ABC. The Miss USA telecast improved to 3.8/6 in its second hour. " The Simpsons," 3.8/6, and the premiere of "Sit Down, Shut Up," 2.9/5, were fourth for FOX. The CW went with the movie "At First Sight."

The first new "Desperate Housewives" in four weeks earned an 8.5/13 -- the night's biggest audience -- at 9 p.m. CBS fell back to second with its Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," 6.3/10. "The Celebrity Apprentice," 5.0/8, hold onto third for NBC. " Family Guy," 4.3/6, and "American Dad," 3.4/5, finished the night for FOX. The CW played out the string with its movie.

At 10, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" posted a 6.4/11, narrowly beating the conclusion of CBS' movie, 6.1/11. "The Celebrity Apprentice" drew a 5.5/9 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.