In the end, the only modest thing about The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was the ratings.

Up against the second hour of Non-Committal Guy Gives Pretty Girl a Rose, better known as The Bachelor, CBS' annual underwear spectacular was tried on by 9.4 million, okay for 53rd place, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Bachelor finale, in which Bob Guiney did not pop the question to chosen one Estella Gardinier, was a top 10 hit, with 18.6 million viewers.

While ABC won that battle, CBS won the war. Make that, the wars.

The Eyeball was the most-eyeballed network for the TV week ended Sunday, averaging 14.2 million viewers. According to estimates, it'll also be the most-eyeballed network of the November sweeps, which wrap Wednesday.

CBS chairman Les Moonves declared the "convincing, dominating, historic" sweeps victory Monday morning. An hour later, NBC entertainment president Jeff Zucker announced a "solid, clear" sweeps win for his network. (CBS has bragging rights for total viewers; NBC, for ones aged 18-49.)

Execs at third-place ABC, meanwhile, urged reporters to "look behind the numbers," presumably because that's how they're used to looking at the numbers--from behind. The stats were even worse for Fox, dead last among the major networks in viewers and targeted toothpaste buyers in November, and stuck with the cheap imitation that was The Next Joe Millionaire, drawing just 5.9 million viewers for last week's penultimate episode.

CBS won the sweeps with big specials (The Andy Griffith Show Reunion, etc.), big series (top-rated CSI, still-strong Survivor: Pearl Islands, etc.) and no bombs. In what turned out to be lucky breaks, the network's two potentially diciest shows, The Reagans and the Michael Jackson tribute special, never made it to air.

Elsewhere last week:

ER blew up a helicopter, killed bad Dr. Romano and earned its biggest audience in nearly a year--23.4 million (second place). Britney Spears hired a string quartet, rocked New York City's Gotham Hall, but forgot the chopper explosion en route to just 5.8 million viewers for her ABC special-slash-infomercial, Britney Spears: In the Zone. ABC News' anti-Oliver Stone report on the President Kennedy assassination, Peter Jennings Reporting, acquitted itself with 11.7 million (31st place). ABC found itself thankful for a pair of venerable holiday cartoons, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (59th place, 8.99 million) and A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (60th place, 8.96 million). The revitalized CBS Sunday Movie franchise had another hit in the holiday weepie Fallen Angel (11th place, 17.4 million). ABC's hit-and-miss Wonderful World of Disney found some kind of wonderful in the new TV-movie Eloise at Christmastime (61st place, 8.9 million). NBC's Ed, bound for a time-share Saturday time slot with Miss Match, underwhelmed on Wednesday night--51st place, 9.5 million. The 100th episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was commemorated by 13.9 million (17th place). Fox's barely watched Tru Calling rated a season-long pickup from the network despite another barely watched performance--111th place, 3.8 million.

Overall, NBC ran second for the week, with 11.6 million viewers. ABC trailed with 10.7 million; Fox flailed with 6.8 million.

In the could-be-nothing, but-you-never-know department, ABC's Sunday night dramas--10-8 (79th place, 7.3 million), Alias (65th place, 8.5 million) and The Practice (74th place, 7.7 million)--were the only three Alphabet shows that the network couldn't find anything nice to say about in its weekly ratings recap.

Meanwhile, in the could-be-something, but-possibly-just-boring department, Nielsen Media Research, responding to network calls for a recount of the dwindling 18-to-34 male demographic, concluded in a 43-page report released Monday that if their stats show young men are watching less prime-time TV, it's because they are. So there.

Among the netlets, UPN, boosted by a Will Smith guest appearance on All of Us (97th place, 5 million), managed a rare win over the WB, averaging 4.38 million viewers to the Frog's 4.35 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, 26.6 million viewers
2. ER, NBC, 23.4 million viewers
3. Friends (8 p.m., Thursday), NBC, 20.7 million viewers
4. Friends (8:32 p.m., Thursday), NBC, 19.9 million viewers
5. Survivor: Pearl Islands, CBS, 19.9 million viewers
6. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 19.4 million viewers
7. CSI: Miami, CBS, 18.9 million viewers
8. The Bachelor, ABC, 18.6 million viewers
9. 60 Minutes, CBS, 18 million viewers
10. Law & Order, NBC, 17.5 million viewers