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E12 CALENDAR LOSANGELESTIMES TELEVISION RADIO For convenient home delivery, visit myaccount.latimes.com or call 1-800-LA TIMES Read all about it Thursday in Calendar Weekend Find out how Southern Californians celebrate Dia de los Muertos the Day of the Dead. Plus, miss getting a rundown of Halloween events happening around the Southland. Tricks or treats? de Los Angeles Times 05WGN001 HFBA Now Available in Paperback www.michaelcrichton.com Avon An Imprint ofHarperCollinsPublishers www.harpercollins.com miss the next book by Micheal Crichton. Sign up now for AuthorTracker by visiting www.AuthorTracker.com Also available from HarperAudio New York Times Bestselling Author MICHAEL CRICHTON Prime-Time TV Rankings Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Oct. 17-23) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research.

They are based on the average number ofpeople who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. age 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions. Program Network View- ersProgram Network Viewers 1 CSICBS28.48 2 Desperate Housewives (Sun.) ABC25.22 3 LostABC21.38 4 Without a TraceCBS19.82 5 AnatomyABC18.00 --------------------------------------------6 CSI: MiamiCBS17.91 7 Survivor: GuatemalaCBS17.78 8 NCISCBS17.69 9 Series Game 10 Commander in ChiefABC16.30 --------------------------------------------11 60 MinutesCBS16.02 12 Two and a Half MenCBS15.56 13 Series Game 14 Cold CaseCBS14.95 15 ERNBC14.70 --------------------------------------------16 Monday Night FootballABC14.44 17 Law Order: SVUNBC14.36 18 Game 19 CSI: NYCBS14.00 20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC12.98 --------------------------------------------21 Criminal MindsCBS12.79 22 Las VegasNBC12.64 23 Law OrderNBC12.33 24 Out of PracticeCBS12.25 25 My Name IsEarlNBC12.19 --------------------------------------------26 Crossing JordanNBC12.08 27 MediumNBC11.94 28 Game 29 Boston LegalABC11.59 30 InvasionABC11.24 --------------------------------------------31 Numb3rsCBS11.17 32 NFL Monday ShowcaseABC11.13 33 Amazing Race 8CBS11.11 34 Apprentice 4NBC10.63 35 Ghost WhispererCBS10.55 --------------------------------------------36 King of QueensCBS10.47 37 Law Order: Criminal Intent (Sun.) NBC10.45 38 How I Met Your MotherCBS10.13 39 Close to HomeCBS9.91 40 Series Pre-Game FOX9.57 --------------------------------------------41 SurfaceNBC9.56 42 43 Funniest Home Videos ABC9.02 44 Three WishesNBC8.84 45 Biggest Loser 2NBC8.60 --------------------------------------------46 48 Hours MysteryCBS8.37 47 Dateline: NBC 48 HouseFOX8.25 49 50 FreddieABC8.08 --------------------------------------------51 OfficeNBC8.02 52 Dateline: NBC 53 George LopezABC7.94 54 Will GraceNBC7.88 55 Wife SwapABC7.86 --------------------------------------------56 The West WingNBC7.85 57 Law Order: Criminal Intent (Fri.) NBC7.84 58 59 Crimetime Saturday (8 p.m.) CBS7.68 60 RodneyABC7.62 --------------------------------------------61 JoeyNBC7.60 62 According toJimABC7.59 63 Yes, DearCBS7.56 64 ThresholdCBS7.45 65 Crimetime Saturday (9 p.m.) CBS7.37 --------------------------------------------66 Pre-Game 6 (Wed.) FOX7.34 67 Still StandingCBS6.98 68 AliasABC6.78 69 Pre-Game 5 (Mon.) FOX6.77 70 Apprentice: MarthaNBC6.62 --------------------------------------------71 PrimetimeABC6.58 72 SmallvilleWB6.40 73 Hope 74 Gilmore GirlsWB6.08 75 SupernannyABC5.74 --------------------------------------------76 Hot PropertiesABC5.63 77 Everybody Hates ChrisUPN5.52 78 Next Top Model 5 (Wed.) UPN5.45 79 7th HeavenWB5.32 80 Supernatural --------------------------------------------81 Force 82 Night StalkerABC4.51 83 BonesFOX4.46 84 85 Killer InstinctFOX4.30 --------------------------------------------86 CharmedWB4.26 87 GirlfriendsUPN4.24 88 Desperate Housewives (Sat.) ABC4.15 89 EverwoodWB4.07 90 WWE --------------------------------------------91 Bernie MacFOX4.00 92 All of UsUPN3.97 93Half and HalfUPN3.82 94 Malcolm in the MiddleFOX3.63 95 One on OneUPN3.50 --------------------------------------------96 Reba 97 Love Inc.UPN3.14 98 One Tree HillWB3.12 99 Veronica MarsUPN3.05 100 Reunion (8 p.m.)FOX2.78 --------------------------------------------101 EveUPN2.66 102 Reba 7:30 p.m.)WB2.65 103 Next Top Model 5 (Tue.) UPN2.64 104 TwinsWB2.49 105 CutsUPN2.45 --------------------------------------------106 Reunion (9 p.m.)FOX2.39 107 Related 108 Related 109 Supernatural 110 What I Like About You(8 p.m.) WB2.15 --------------------------------------------111 Reba 7 p.m.)WB2.08 112 What I Like About You (8:30 p.m.) WB2.00 113 Sex, Love SecretsUPN1.12 Network averages Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

Network Last week Season to date CBS13.0912.95 FOX10.638.90 ABC10.4611.06 NBC9.329.51 WB3.723.63 UPN3.503.63 From City News Service Television viewership for the opening two games of the World Series sankto record lows, but Fox Broadcasting was still able to claim ratings victories, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Tuesday. The Chicago White victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 on Saturday drew 15 million viewers, the least- watched World Series game since Oct. 14, 1971, when 13.6 million people tuned in to the Thursday afternoon telecast of Game 5 between the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. Game 2 fared better, drawing 17.2 million viewers, but the two-game average of 16.1 million viewers is the lowest since individual game viewership began being recorded in 1969. Nevertheless, Fox was the most-watched network Saturday and also finished first among all key adult demographic groups.

On Sunday, Fox finished first in the household ratings and also led in the adult male demographic groups. CBS and its Thursday hit continued their streaks as the most-watched network and program, respectively. CBS averaged 13.1 million viewers between Oct. 17 and Sunday, becoming the first network to win each of the first five weeks of a season since NBC recorded the feat in 1997. For the fourth consecutive week, in was the only new series to crack the prime-time top 10.

Fox overcomes Series ratings Friday might say, just the facts about two high-profile Wednesday shows. now in its 16th season and the forerunner of virtually all of top procedurals, has seen a slide among the advertiser-friendly young-adult audience compared withlast year, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research (the show is down a more modest in total viewers, to 12.9 million). New which like airs at 10 p.m., has shed an alarming of its young-adult audience and of its total viewers (to 14.3 million), although still the most-watched program in the time slot. Both shows have been heavily affectedby new thriller Any declines among young adults are especially worrisome to TV executives because those viewers are considered very hard to win back, advertisers pay premium rates to reach them and their viewing habits are often predictive of general audience trends, researchers say. Crime is paying smaller dividends on other nightstoo.

and Order: Criminal have each slipped in viewers ages 18 to 49 this season. Even Crime Scene the smash hit that unleashed the forensics craze back in 2000, has stopped increasing its total audience and is down in young adults, though the show remains No. 1 in the ratings. The drop- offs are especially noticeable when compared withoverall network performance: No. 1-ranked CBS is up this season in total viewers, to 12.9 million, followed by ABC (11 million, up NBC (9.5 million, down and Fox (8.9 million, down Among the few crime shows bucking the trend are two spin- offs, Order: Special Victims and (which followed which have both posted gains across the board this season.

But generally, the outlook for procedurals is one of decline, and many TV veterans say no mystery why: In addition to the competition from new hits like there are simply too many look-alike crime shows. Of course, me-too programming is a time-honored TV tradition. The surprise success of last year brought a spate of supernatural-themed shows this season. series spurred a reality gold rush that is only now abating. What makes the procedural dominance unusual is that lasted for so longand spawned so many shows.

Blame unalloyed penchant for wretched excess and said Tim Brooks, a TV historian and executive vice president of research at Lifetime Entertainment. The procedural genre, he added, is to show signs of Crowded field YSTERIES and crime shows of various stripes occupy just under half of weekly schedule, including a two-hour block of repeats dubbed Add the three shows on NBC and there were already very few time slots for any new procedural that would not put it in instant competition with a similar show on another network. And yet this season has somehow brought even more. CBS recently ordered more episodes of a profiler show starring Mandy Pa- tinkin that has delivered respectable if not enormous ratings. Fox has gotten into the act with a modestly successful forensics show called Tassler disputes the idea that the genre is overcrowded, arguing that each of the shows has certain story and character elements that setit apart.

only thing I take a little bit of offense with is to sort of lump them all into one she said. have viewers that are really attracted to shows that have a crime-solving, mystery or procedural fact that is certainly showing signs of growth that our audiences are still responding to shows with those kinds of Others take a different view. are too many said creator and executive producer Dick Wolf. of these shows will go away over the next couple of He added: certainly think any of the or fall into that Wolf is doing everything he can to make sure his shows among the dropouts. He is still seething that NBC canceled athird spinoff, Order: Trial after 12 episodes last spring.

He has long said he wants the original to stay on the air at least 21 years, thus beating western as longest- running drama. NBC has strong incentives to help him achieve that goal. The network acquired the studio rights to the entire franchise as part of its merger with Universal, and repeats earn high ratings on cable networks USA and Bravo, as well as on Time TNT. NBC estimates that the three shows reach 100 million viewers per month, and its total ad tally for the franchise amounts to a reported $1 billion annually. in the television business, no bigger Reilly said.

(NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric, also has interests in motion pictures and theme parks). Like Tassler, who says New is finally on track creatively after a shaky first season, Wolf said is being reinvigorated by the addition of a new fall, Nick Wootton. one is throwing any darts at the show he said. though, may be a victim of its own success, because it inspiredthe creation of a host of other procedurals that now threaten its existence. The original show isin many ways a throwback to Jack pioneering cop drama apure procedural that generally ignores what detectives and prosecutors do in their off-duty hours.

Each two-part structure, one focused on crime detection, the other on the criminal courts, initially confused some viewers, Reilly said. That problem was solved partly by the voice-overintroduction that has become the signature: the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups As grew its audience, it gradually became impregnable on Wednesday nights. And NBC, which has had trouble finding a new runaway hit drama after debuted in 1995, came to rely increasingly on the show and its spinoffs arrived in 1999 and in 2001). seemed there for quite a while that the only thing that would work was a Reilly said. during the reality craze, we were having a hard time finding any dramas that could match the firepower of a reality Wolf said that a big part of current decline is due to its unforgiving Sunday time slot: know any other shows that could have stood up against the tsunami that The Wednesday he added, has suffered from a weak lead-in, Apprentice: Martha Wolf says that NBC has grown on the franchise.

At the same time, he remains unhappy about the fate of which focused on the preparation behind criminal trials. never should have been he said. Reilly said the audience for by skewed older than NBC would have liked. was a tough year to add a new addition to the brand, and I think get off to a particularly strong he said. But then, Wolf have too much cause to worry.

NBC is already working with him on another series. you guessed it procedural about assistant district attorneys called Viewers may find the show familiar in more ways than one. As Reilly noted, the new show will use old sets. Cliff Lipson CBS CBS has ordered more episodes after the profiler show starring Mandy Patinkin drew respectable ratings. Shows about crime are falling in ratings Crime shows, from Page E1.