CBS has been so dominant in the ratings for the young fall television season that it has accomplished something no network in history has ever done before, The New York Times reports.

According to Nielsen figures for the first three weeks of the season -- Sept. 19 through Oct. 9 -- CBS has 20 of the top 30 shows on broadcast, in terms of total viewers, the story reports. That feat has never been done before, the story says.

Though TVWeek, going through ratings of past TV seasons, notes that in the 1956-57 season ending ratings for the ENTIRE season, CBS had 23 of the top 30 spots. Of course at that time there were only three networks. In that season the only non-CBS shows to break into the top 30 for the entire season were 5 shows on NBC and two shows on ABC. The top five shows that season were "I Love Lucy, " "The Ed Sullivan Show," "General Electric Theater," "The $64,000 Question," and "December Bride" (all on CBS).

Getting back to the current season, CBS also ranks as the top network in the 18-49 demographic.

The network’s powerhouse procedurals “NCIS,” with an average of 18.7 million viewers, and “NCIS: L.A.,” with 15.4 million, are leading the way for CBS.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/cbs-is-top-network-standing/?smid=tw-artsbeat&seid=auto

CWO (CBS World Order), since CBS has been the "A network" for a number of years. There were also times when ABC, NBC, and even FOX have been the "A" network.

Which begs the question is CBS that good or are the other networks that bad?

History of who has been The "A" network:

CBS: 1951-1976
ABC: 1976-1980
CBS: 1980-1985
NBC: 1985-2000
CBS: 2000-2007
FOX: 2007-2008
CBS: 2008-present

Overall CBS does have the best shows.

History of who has been The "A" network:

CBS: 1951-1976
ABC: 1976-1980
CBS: 1980-1985
NBC: 1985-2000
CBS: 2000-2007
FOX: 2007-2008
CBS: 2008-present
Using that model, it would appear a network takes over the number one spot for a short time, then CBS is right back on top. Every network appears once on that list, yet CBS is on it four times.

History of who has been The "A" network:

CBS: 1951-1976
ABC: 1976-1980
CBS: 1980-1985
NBC: 1985-2000
CBS: 2000-2007
FOX: 2007-2008
CBS: 2008-present


Wow that's pretty cool. I've never seen it broken down like that. This list just further reinstates the sad case of NBC. A network that once boasted flagship shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, Cosby Show, Friends as comedy gold for almost 2 decades is now pushing.... Whitney :rolleyes:

Which begs the question is CBS that good or are the other networks that bad?
Yes they are that bad!:(

It may be a little tarnished at times, but CBS is the Tiffany Network.

Wow that's pretty cool. I've never seen it broken down like that. This list just further reinstates the sad case of NBC. A network that once boasted flagship shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, Cosby Show, Friends as comedy gold for almost 2 decades is now pushing.... Whitney :rolleyes:
Whitney is actually a great comedy, but people are giving their opinions on the first episode (which was horrible). I'd suggest watching again, because it's quality has improved quite drastically, and it has gotten A LOT funnier.

Whitney is actually a great comedy, but people are giving their opinions on the first episode (which was horrible). I'd suggest watching again, because it's quality has improved quite drastically, and it has gotten A LOT funnier.
I agree. It's actually a really good show. It's far from the worse show on NBC.

But then again I might be biased. I'm a big fan of Whitney from Chelsea Lately.

Using that model, it would appear a network takes over the number one spot for a short time, then CBS is right back on top. Every network appears once on that list, yet CBS is on it four times.
By and large except for a brief period in the late 80's and early 90's, CBS has been the number 1 or number 2 network since they were founded.

I agree. It's actually a really good show. It's far from the worse show on NBC.

But then again I might be biased. I'm a big fan of Whitney from Chelsea Lately.
I'm a huge Chelsea Lately fan, but I've never been that fond of Whitney. However, her new comedy is great, and I've started to like her as a comedian much more! Anyone remember her days on the short-lived (and barely viewed) The Tony Rock Project on MyNetworkTV?

These two CBS shows are very realistic comedies which is why they are doing well in the ratings

Two Broke Girls
Mike and Molly