The Ultimate Guide to Prime Time Network TV

SUNDAY

NBC - Deal or No Deal, Grease (You're The One That I Want). The Apprentice (LA), Crossing Jordan

ABC - America's Funniest Videos, Extreme Makeover (Home Edition), Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters

CBS - 60 Minutes, Cold Case (2 episodes), Without a Trace

FOX - Comedy reruns (2 epsiodes), The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy, American Dad

The CW - Reba, 7^th Heaven, Beauty & the Geek (encore)

Now that football is finished on NBC, it's good to have Apprentice and Crossing Jordan back. However, those two shows have seen their best days in the ratings.

ABC has the strongest lineup, with Housewives allowing Brothers & Sisters the time to find its audience. Without a Trace isn't getting the ratings it used to pull on Thursday night, but it's still a quality show, as is Cold Case. The Simpsons is still going on Fox and its creators are showing no signs of running out of ink.

MONDAY

NBC - Deal or No Deal, Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

ABC - Wife Swap, Supernanny, What About Brian

CBS - How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CSI (Miami)

FOX - Prison Break, 24

The CW - Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends, The Game

Heroes has been a pleasant surprise for NBC, outperforming Studio 60, which got a lot more preseason hype due to its star power. CBS has quietly built a good comedy block, surviving the demise of Everybody Loves Raymond and the near-oblivion of The King of Queens. 24 has gained ratings and buzz since it began, and it is very easy for viewers to follow if they start at the beginning of a new season (since it's a new day in the life of Jack Bauer). 24 is a perfect match for the underrated Prison Break, which should gain viewers now that 24 is back.

TUESDAY

NBC - Dateline NBC, Law & Order (Criminal Intent), Law & Order (Special Victims Unit)

ABC - America's Funniest Videos, Big Day, Help Me Help You, Boston Legal

CBS - NCIS, The Unit, 48 Hours Mystery

FOX - American Idol, House

The CW - Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars