See Also: 'Next' Episode Guide

ABC, and the cast and crew of Desperate Housewives, can breath a collective sigh of relief as viewers last night returned to the show in force. But can it now knock CSI from the top of the TV charts?

According to figures released by MediaWeek, "Next" scored a 19.2 rating with a 26 share. These figures mean that of all households in the United States with television sets, 19.2% were tuned into DH, as well as 26% of those households actually watching television on Sunday at 9:00pm. The show pulled a 12.2/26 rating in the coveted 18–49 demographic.

With 28.17 million viewers, it didn't do as well as the show's season one finale "One Wonderful Day" (which received 30 million viewers). But it was considerably up from the 20 million it received for its series premiere last year. Desperate Housewives lead-out Grey's Anatomy also returned in force, with a 13.3/20 rating, 19.53m viewers and an 8.6/21 in the 18–49 demographic.

NFL Football overran for CBS earlier in the evening, pushing Cold Case into the path of Desperate Housewives and a 12.1/18 rating. NBC had the fourth season premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on 8.3/11, Fox was fourth with Family Guy and American Dad and the WB languished in last place with Blue Collar TV and Blue Collar TV. ABC easily won the night with an advantage over nearest competitor CBS of 22 percent in the overnights, 4.34 million viewers and 95 percent among adults 18–49.

Meanwhile, also returning for its second season was Lost, which made a strong return for ABC on Wednesday 21 September. It racked up a 15.2/22 score, with 23 million viewers and a 10.0/25 in the 18–49 demographic. Like Desperate Housewives, it showed a large improvement over its series premiere where it received 13.5/21, 18.65 million viewers and a 6.8/20 18–49 rating.

The question is now whether Desperate Housewives can take the crown as the top rated show on television. It came within a whisker of surpassing CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in total viewers this week; CSI returned for its sixth season on Thursday 22 September and gained 28.29 million viewers—a mere 120 thousand viewers more than Desperate Housewives. But, in the 18–49 demo, Housewives' 12.26 beat CSI's 9.9/24.

MediaWeek's original ratings report, written by Programming Insider Marc Berman, can be found by following this link.

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