Arts, Briefly – Fox Tops Ratings for Monday Night – Brief – NYTimes.com

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “Prison Break” lifted Fox to No. 1 in the ratings on Monday among adults 18 to 49, winning their respective time slots in that demographic despite struggling in total viewers. According to Nielsen’s estimates, the second-season premiere of “Terminator” drew 6.3 million viewers at 8 p.m., while “Prison Break” garnered 6.5 million at 9. NBC, meanwhile, led the night in total viewers, thanks to “Deal or No Deal” at 8 (9.6 million). The network’s “America’s Toughest Jobs” at 9 and “Dateline” at 10 delivered 6.5 million and 6.2 million viewers. In the 18-to-49 set, NBC trailed behind Fox and CBS, which broadcast a lineup of all repeats. ABC was fourth with the finale of “High School Musical: Get in the Picture” at 8 (4.1 million), followed by the “CMA Music Festival” from 9 to 11 (5.8 million). Meanwhile, CW fared well, maintaining relatively strong ratings after last week’s season debuts of “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill.” Each show averaged 3.2 million viewers this week. In Nielsen’s final cable ratings for last week, “The Closer” led over all, attracting a season’s best 8.1 million viewers on Monday at 9 for TNT. It was followed by “Raising the Bar,” TNT’s new show from Steve Bochco, which set a record with the highest ratings for a new series premiere on cable (7.7 million).