The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for May 3 - May 9. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.Dancing with the Stars ties American Idol for #1 in the Nielsen's, DWTS beats American Idol performance show. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains #8, Amazing Race Finale #19.
| Rank | Show name | Network | Viewers in millions | Season-to-date average (in millions) |
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| 1. | American Idol (Wed.) | Fox | 19.6 | 23.7 |
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| * | Dancing with the Stars | ABC | 19.6 | 19.7 |
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| 3. | American Idol (Tues.) | Fox | 17.5 | 25.2 |
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| 4. | NCIS | CBS | 15.1 | 18.8 |
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| 5. | The Mentalist | CBS | 14.8 | 16.8 |
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| 6. | NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 14.3 | 15.6 |
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| 7. | CSI | CBS | 14.1 | 15.8 |
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| 8. | Survivor: Heroes | CBS | 13.1 | 13.5 |
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| 9. | The Good Wife | CBS | 12.9 | 12.7 |
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| 10. | Criminal Minds | CBS | 12.4 | 13.5 |
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| 11. | Dancing with the Stars Results | ABC | 12.0 | 15.1 |
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| 12. | Glee | Fox | 11.6 | 9.2 |
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| * | The Big Bang Theory | CBS | 11.6 | 14.1 |
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| 14. | Jesse Stone: No Remorse | CBS | 11.5 | -- |
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| 15. | Desperate Housewives | ABC | 11.4 | 14.0 |
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| 16. | Grey's Anatomy | ABC | 11.0 | 13.3 |
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| 17. | 60 Minutes | CBS | 10.9 | 13.4 |
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| 18. | Castle | ABC | 10.7 | 10.5 |
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| 19. | Amazing Race | CBS | 10.6 | 11.1 |
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| 20. | CSI: NY | CBS | 10.3 | 12.3 |
| * | The Big Bang Theory | CBS | 10.3 | -- |
