TV Top Ten - CBS Kicks Butt, Takes Names

CBS absolutely dominated the airwaves last week taking nine of the top ten broadcast television spots. The only other network to impede the clean sweep was NBC whose Sunday Night Football coverage claimed number one with an impressive 23 million viewers and 13.7 share.

The only half-hour long show to sneak into the list was Two and a Half Men which has continued to perform for CBS despite the aging actors (Angus T. Jones just isn't as cute at 15 as he was at 10) and aging comedy (putting the plots and gags in a different order each season just isn't cutting it anymore).

ABC and FOX were left in the cold which doesn't warrant any sympathy. FOX will be right back on top next month when another pointlessly popular season of American Idol foists itself onto the screen and ABC deserves no credit in light of its cancellation of potential winners (a la Pushing Daisies) and snapping up past-performers from other networks in the hopes of milking them dry.

Of course I'm talking about ABC's decision to pick up Scrubs' eighth season after NBS dumped it earlier this year. Adding Courtney Cox Arquette to the line-up is a cute stunt but not one that will likely revive the show's popularity. Sorry guys but I don't think you can un-jump the shark, not even with the magic of an ex-Friends cast member. You might have gotten something if you'd pulled in Matt LeBlanc but only because we haven't seen him since Joey flopped and morbid curiosity would win the day.

Cable television's top ten was the usual jumble of Spongebob Squarepants, WWE RAW and random Disney shows mixed in for good measure. Monday Night Football still holds number one by a wide margin but that strangle hold will soon come to an end as the NFL regualar season winds down.