TV Top Ten - Week of September 22, 2008

Welcome to Blend Television's first foray into the realm of tv's top ten. Nielsen Media spends hundreds of man hours and thousands of phone calls every week to figure out what America watches the most. The least we can do is tell you if you're watching what everyone else is.

In broadcast television Dancing With The Stars snagged three of the top ten spots, including number one. I must confess that despite my general dislike for the show, I too was drawn just to gawk at the fact that octogenarian Cloris Leachman hasn't been eliminated yet.

Frankly I think the fact that she's still on there is proof that the show is fixed. She's the new Sanjaya. Don't get me wrong, I love Cloris dearly, but she belongs in movies, not on the competition dance floor.

The rest of the chart is populated with regulars like Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, but sneaking into the number ten spot is CBS new drama The Mentalist. The only new series in the broadcast top ten, it's postured to be possibly be the next big thing.

Even though anyone could have watched last week's debate on broadcast TV, it was the cable coverage that made the top of the charts. FoxNews had a bigger share than CNN, which isn't surprising given CNN's gimmicky attempt to spice with their digital version of an audience mood ring.

That wasn't the only area where CNN lost out. Fox's On The Record With Greta came in third place while CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 only made seventh.

Of course, no one had anything on the NFL. ESPN's coverage of the Jets vs. Charger game took first place without any real competition to speak of. As the football season continues to heat up, look for that NFL on top trend to continue. For the full broadcast and cable top ten ratings, check out the charts below.

RANK PROGRAM RATING VIEWERS

BROADCAST TELEVISION

1. DANCING WITH THE STARS - [ABC] 13.4 21.338

2. GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM - [ABC] 11.9 18.469

3. DANCING W/STARS SP-9/23(S) - [ABC] 11.7 18.302

4. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - [ABC] 11.4 18.684

5. NCIS - [CBS] 11.3 18.026

6. CSI: MIAMI - [CBS] 11.1 17.233

7. NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL - [NBC] 10.8 17.34

8. CRIMINAL MINDS - [CBS] 10.5 17.007

9. DANCING W/STARS RESULT SP(S) - [ABC] 10.4 15.867

10. MENTALIST, THE - [CBS] 9.9 15.603

CABLE TELEVISION

1. NFL REGULAR SEASON L (JETS/CHARGERS) - [ESPN] 7.5 11.881

2. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE(S)-09/26/2008 - [FOXNC] 4.5 8.211

3. ON THE RECORD W/GRETA - [FOXNC] 4.3 7.413

4. SR/PRES DEBATE 1 2008(S)-09/26/2008 - [CNN] 4.2 7.14

5. COLL FTBALL-THUR NIGHT L (USC/OREGON STATE) - [ESPN] 4.2 6.456

6. COLL FTBALL-SAT PRIME L (ALABAMA/GEORGIA) - [ESPN] 3.9 6.683

7. ANDERSON COOPER 360 - [CNN] 3.8 6.502

8. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE CVG(S)-09/26/2008 - [FOXNC] 3.6 5.85

9. SUITE LIFE ON DECK - [DSNY] 3.6 5.666

10. PRES ADDRESS/ANALYSIS(S)-09/24/2008 - [FOXNC] 3.2 4.967