Finally, after weeks at theNo. 1 spot, ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was dethroned by Fox’s broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was a massive victory for Fox, which hasn’t garnered the
top spot all summer.
Nevertheless, Millionaire did score three spots in the top 5, and two new 20/20 programs bolstered ABC’s presence in the top 20. CBS also maintained its momentum in the Nielsens, with three reruns making the
cut: Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker and CSI.
As for new programs (well, among shows which did not mention Chandra Levy), NBC’s Fear Factor held strong yet again, edging closer and closer to a top-10 finish. It will be interesting to see how well
Factor fares when it returns next spring–amid much stiffer competition.
The primetime network top 20 for the week of July 9 through July 15, according to Nielsen Media Research:
1. MLB ALL-STAR GAME, FOX
2. MILLIONAIRE (TUE), ABC
3. PRIMETIME THURSDAY, ABC
4. MILLIONAIRE (SUN), ABC
5. MILLIONAIRE (THU), ABC
6. DATELINE (MON), NBC
7. EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, CBS
8. 20/20 (FRI), ABC
8. WEAKEST LINK, NBC
10. 60 MINUTES, CBS
11. FEAR FACTOR, NBC
12. MLB ALL-STAR PRE-GAME, FOX
12. LAW AND ORDER, NBC
14. CSI, CBS
15. BECKER, CBS
16. DATELINE (TUE), NBC
17. 48 HOURS (MON), CBS
17. LAW AND ORDER: SVU, NBC
19. 20/20 DOWNTOWN, ABC
19. CBS SUNDAY MOVIE, CBS
