Reality TV Puts Up Unreal Ratings

Meet primetime's new power players: A construction worker, a physical therapist, a 10-year-old aspiring obstetrician and Corey Feldman.

Yes, the second half of the 2002-03 TV season picked up where the first half ended, with reality series--and their resident "stars"--dominating.

The biggest of the regular Joes was Joe Millionaire. The Fox series, in which lowly paid construction worker Evan Marriott woos women who are under the impression he's a moneyed mogul, kicked off its deceitful game last week with an episode watched by 18.6 million viewers, the biggest series debut for the network in three years.

Joe's seventh-place finish, combined with NFL playoff action, helped Fox vault over ABC to rate as the third most watched network, its shows averaging 11.5 million viewers for the week ended Sunday.

CBS, which claimed honors as the most watched network, averaging 15.3 million viewers, saw its cause aided by its own Joe Somebodies. The Arsenio Hall-hosted revival of Star Search, featuring kid crooner/would-be baby doc Tiffany Evans, averaged 13.5 million viewers, airing on back-to-back nights, Wednesday and Thursday. Both installments cracked the top 25.

ABC's The Bachelorette did even better. The girl-power edition of its matrimonial-minded series, with pediatric physical therapist Trista Rehn sorting through a bevy of good-looking suitors, debuted in The Bachelor's old 9 p.m. Wednesday slot to a solid 10th place finish, its premiere episode sampled by 17.4 million viewers. (Still, a long way off from The Bachelor's November season finale, which attracted 25.9 million viewers.)

Just like The Bachelor, The Bachelorette overshadowed the Oval Office goings on at time-slot rival The West Wing. The Emmy-winning NBC series finished in 22nd place (13.962 million viewers). Ratings erosion or no, the Peacock reportedly is close to reupping The West Wing with a multiyear pact that would see the network fork over more than triple the $2 million it currently pays Warner Bros. to produce each episode.

Despite The Bachelorette's perkiness, overall, it was a down week for ABC. With its Thursday and Saturday movie nights tanking, the network averaged just 8.6 million viewers, bad for fourth place.

NBC held up well, despite its relative lack of reality TV entries. Led by Thursday night powerhouses Friends (third place, 23.7 million viewers) and E.R. (fourth place, 21.5 million), the Peacock was the week's second most watched network, averaging 12.8 million viewers.

The network also got a strong debut from Mister Sterling, its Friday night replacement for Providence. The series, starring Josh Brolin as a freshman U.S. senator, debuted to 12.2 million viewers (31st place).

CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the week's top-rated show, keeping things creepy for 25.5 million fans.

The WB, meanwhile, scored with the Surreal Life. The MTV-style Real World takeoff, on a mission to see what happens when B-list celebs (M.C. Hammer, Vince Neil, Corey Feldman--natch) become roomies, suckered in 5.2 million viewers (89th place), besting the netlet's weekly average of 4.2 million. The WB's other new reality show, High School Reunion, also fared well, drawing 4.4 million viewers in its debut outing.

UPN, led by the scripted surreality of WWE Smackdown (85th place, 5.7 million), finished fifth among the major networks, averaging 3.9 million viewers.

In the week's biggest indignity, an episode of Doc (110th place, 2.4 million), one of PAX TV's lone non-Diagnosis Murder entries, outdrew a UPN broadcast of Girlfriends (111th place, 2.1 million).

Here's a rundown of the 10 most-watched shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 25.5 million viewers
2. NFL Playoff Game: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, Fox, 24.9 million
3. Friends, NBC, 23.7 million
4. E.R., NBC, 21.5 million
5. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 19.7 million
6. Law & Order, NBC, 19.6 million
7. Joe Millionaire, Fox, 18.6 million
8. 60 Minutes, CBS, 17.6 million
9. CSI: Miami, CBS, 17.5 million
10. The Bachelorette, ABC, 17.4 million