The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for August 16 - August 22. 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.ABC's Bachelor Pad drops out of Top 20, while CBS's Big Brother puts 3 episodes in Top 20 at #9, #10 and #12. Vikings/49ers #1, followed by America's Got Talent at# 2 and #.
| Rank | Show name | Network | Viewers in millions | Season-to-date average (in millions) |
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| 1. | NFL: Vikings/49ers | NBC | 10.8 | -- |
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| 2. | America's Got Talent (Wed) | NBC | 10.3 | 11.9 |
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| 3. | America's Got Talent (Tues) | NBC | 10.2 | 11.8 |
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| 4. | Wipeout | ABC | 9.0 | 8.9 |
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| 5. | NCIS | CBS | 8.8 | 16.6 |
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| 6. | Two and a Half Men | CBS | 8.5 | 13.4 |
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| 7. | 60 Minutes | CBS | 8.4 | 12.0 |
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| 8. | Big Bang Theory | CBS | 8.0 | 13.1 |
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| 9. | Big Brother (Sun.) | CBS | 7.7 | 7.6 |
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| 10. | Big Brother (Wed.) | CBS | 7.6 | 7.3 |
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| * | NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 7.6 | 13.9 |
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| 12. | Big Brother (Thurs.) | CBS | 7.5 | 7.5 |
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| 13. | America's Funniest Home Videos | ABC | 7.0 | -- |
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| 14. | The Mentalist | CBS | 6.9 | 14.3 |
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| 15. | Criminal Minds | CBS | 6.5 | 12.1 |
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| 16. | Flashpoint | CBS | 6.4 | 6.9 |
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| * | Rookie Blue | ABC | 6.4 | 7.3 |
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| * | Wipeout | ABC | 6.4 | 7.9 |
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| 19. | NFL: Patriots/Falcons | Fox | 5.8 | -- |
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| * | NASCAR | ABC | 5.8 | -- |
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| * | Soy tu Duena (Mon.) | Uni | 5.8 | 5.4 |
