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DAILY STYLE CHEC CALENDAR E13 LOSANGELESTIMES TELEVISION RADIO WATCH COSMETIC SURGERY featuring Dr.R.Patrick Abergel TONIGHT 11 P.M.KDOC-TV Channel 56 Check your television listings Where the movies are To subscribe, visit myaccount.latimes.com or call 1-800-LATIMES. 05 R002 HEBE Prime-Time TV Rankings Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (March 21-27) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older.

Viewership is listed in millions. Program Network View- ersProgram Network Viewers 1 American Idol 2 Desperate HousewivesABC24.08 3 American Idol 4 American Idol 5 Survivor: PalauCBS19.15 --------------------------------------------6 CSI: MiamiCBS18.93 7 NCAA Basketball 5 p.m.) CBS17.91 8 HouseFOX17.34 9 CSI: NYCBS16.73 10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC16.36 --------------------------------------------11 AnatomyABC16.24 12 CSICBS16.14 13 Two and a Half MenCBS15.92 14 60 MinutesCBS15.51 15 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS15.43 --------------------------------------------16 ERNBC15.01 17 NCISCBS14.86 18 NCAA Basketball 7:13 p.m.) CBS14.24 19 Cold CaseCBS13.24 20 Amazing Race: 7CBS12.43 --------------------------------------------21 NCAA Basketball 9:38 p.m.) CBS11.85 22 MediumNBC11.68 23 24FOX11.55 24 NCAA Basketball 7 p.m.) CBS11.52 25 Crossing JordanNBC11.37 --------------------------------------------26 OfficeNBC11.22 27 Law and Order: Trial by Jury NBC11.07 28 Apprentice 3NBC10.81 29 Law and Order: Criminal Intent NBC10.70 30 NCAA Basketball 9:30 p.m.) CBS10.65 --------------------------------------------31 NCAA Basketball 7 p.m.) CBS10.49 32 Law and Order: SVUNBC10.48 33 NCAA Basketball 4:30 p.m.) CBS10.31 34 Still StandingCBS10.21 35 Listen UpCBS9.93 --------------------------------------------36 Judging AmyCBS9.92 37 According to JimABC9.60 Law and OrderNBC9.60 39 Blind JusticeABC9.55 40 Nanny 911FOX9.54 --------------------------------------------41 Crimetime SaturdayCBS9.26 42 Life on a StickFOX9.24 43 Dateline: NBC 44 Funniest Home Videos ABC9.20 45 Wonderful World of Disney ABC9.00 --------------------------------------------46 The West WingNBC8.96 47 JoeyNBC8.76 48 Las VegasNBC8.67 49 O.C.FOX8.59 50 Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Sat.) NBC8.50 --------------------------------------------51 Diary for CBS8.47 52 That ShowFOX8.26 LostABC8.26 54 Fear FactorNBC8.24 55 Medical InvestigationNBC8.04 --------------------------------------------56 Cops (8:30 p.m.)FOX7.99 57 48 Hours MysteryCBS7.86 58 RodneyABC7.82 59 Simple Life 3FOX7.80 60 Primetime LiveABC7.66 --------------------------------------------61 SupernannyABC7.50 62 Beagle, Charlie ABC7.39 63 64 ContenderNBC7.02 65 CopsFOX6.89 --------------------------------------------66 AliasABC6.76 67 Jake in Progress (8:30 p.m.) ABC6.75 68 Most WantedFOX6.58 69 Jake in ProgressABC6.46 70 The SimpsonsFOX6.41 --------------------------------------------71 Law and Order: SVU (Sat.) NBC6.25 72 Americans DreamsNBC6.14 73 My Wife and KidsABC6.12 74 Hope FaithABC6.10 75 George LopezABC6.02 --------------------------------------------76 Desperate Housewives (Sat.) ABC5.88 77 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: They Do that? ABC5.80 78 Extreme MakeoverABC5.60 79 Jake in Progress (9:30 p.m.) ABC5.44 80 Less Than PerfectABC5.33 --------------------------------------------81 Scrubs (9 p.m.)NBC5.29 82 8 Simple RulesABC5.28 83 WWE 84 85 The Simpsons (9 p.m.)FOX4.91 --------------------------------------------86 Jake in Progress (9 p.m.)ABC4.80 87 Next Top Model 4 UPN4.74 88 Arrested DevelopmentFOX4.72 89 Will GraceNBC4.48 Scrubs (8:30 p.m.)NBC4.48 --------------------------------------------91 36th NAACP Image FOX4.36 92 LAXNBC4.33 93 Contender (7 p.m.)NBC4.19 94 Malcolm in the MiddleFOX4.13 95 Reba (9:30 p.m.)WB3.82 --------------------------------------------96 King of the HillFOX3.77 97 Blue Collar TV (8:30 p.m.) WB3.71 98 Sketch ShowFOX3.69 99 7th HeavenWB3.66 100 RebaWB3.42 --------------------------------------------101 Blue Collar TVWB3.24 102 CutsUPN3.22 103 GirlfriendsUPN3.14 104 One on OneUPN3.07 105 SmallvilleWB2.96 --------------------------------------------106 Half and HalfUPN2.94 107 Gilmore GirlsWB2.75 108 Smallville (9 p.m.)WB2.66 109 SummerlandWB2.65 110 Kevin HillUPN2.46 --------------------------------------------111 EveUPN2.44 112 Steve HarveyWB2.38 113 All of UsUPN2.34 114 Charmed (8 p.m.)WB2.27 115 What I Like About You (8:30 p.m.) WB2.03 --------------------------------------------116 Charmed (7 p.m.)WB1.98 117 StarletWB1.97 118 What I Like About YouWB1.95 119 EnterpriseUPN1.91 120 Veronica MarsUPN1.84 --------------------------------------------121 Next Top Model 4 (Fri.) UPN1.72 122 Starlet 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 CBS13.9412.86 FOX10.3210.02 ABC8.7210.30 NBC8.6310.03 UPN3.173.36 WB2.613.38 From City News Service CBS continued its reign as the most-watched network and was also first among the highly coveted young adult audience last week, according to figures released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. An average of more than 13.9 million viewers watched prime-time programming from March 21 through Sunday, the 23rd time in the 27 weeks it has finished first. Fox Broadcasting, boosted by an extra edition of was an average of more than 10.3 million viewers, followed by ABC with more than 8.7 million, NBC with more than 8.6 million, UPN with nearly 3.2 million and the WB with more than 2.6 million.

The combination of its coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament and drama and unscripted series enabled CBS to finish first among viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the group targeted by ABC, Fox and NBC. Fox had finished first in the group for eight consecutive weeks, the longest streak in the history. CBS also finished first among viewers 25-54 (the group it targets), 12-49, 35-49, 55 and older, and men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Fox was first among all the other demographic groups for which statistics are available. Tuesday edition of was the most-watched program, drawing nearly 27.6 million viewers.

It also led among viewers 12-17, 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. ABC, Fox and NBC all had impressive results with series premieres. The ABC medical drama became the only mid-season series to rank among the Top 10 in total viewers and viewers 18-49 the week of its premiere; the comedy on a was most- watched Thursday scripted premiere (during the regular season) since the on Dec. 3, 1992, and the NBC comedy won its 9:30 p.m. Thursday time slot among viewers 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

College hoops keep CBS at the top of class like nothing so much as the offices of a top-flight talent agency. redolent as it is of lawsuit avoidance and actuarial stats, is not a phrase likely to have passed Philip lips, had he survived into the risk-averse world that produced that concept.) Run by Harlan Judd (Tim Daly, long of the company makes millions and millions of dollars but spends more, on high salaries, new gadgets and sundries. you have any idea how much bottled water Harlan asks new lawyer and possible love interest Laura Leighton Running a deficit makes them successful underdogs, a sort of dramatic device: hard to love a character who wears an $80,000 watch, as Harlan does, but you forgive him his indul- gencebecause and last nice he owns. Though creator John McNamara spreads alittle evil around the workplace is some palace intrigue, apinch of adultery he gives Harlan a firm seat on the moral high ground. His essential goodness is thrown into relief by giving him an evil nemesis, a competitor named Clay Burgess (Gregg Henry), for whom Harlan used to work and who is take over Judd Risk Management.

left your employ because I like the way you do Harlan tells him. like the people you work for and I really like the people who work for Burgess is one of those bad guys who likes a good laugh, even at his own expense, which in some funny way just indicates the depth of his depravity. Harlan, on the other hand, is avery good, not-evil boss, even Rick Worthy, who plays man, points out, create chaos. usually no real reason; working through childhood issues, whatever, the chaos is But he takes pains to see that justice is done, even if it means, for instance, dropping his own client, and former college roommate, in the soup. used to write my biology papers for a six-pack; clearly the evil took root The plots are clever enough, in their Swiss cheese way, and the soap-operatic underpinnings quite seductive, and offer at least twice per episode the deep satisfaction of the well- sprung trap.

Everything runs smoothly for our heroes, even a little too smoothly, thanks to their superior smarts, their handy gadgets (screenwriters everywhere seem to have taken the words into the as an excuse to stop thinking) and a heaping helping of convenience. Top agent Gar- celle Beauvais-Nilon dresses as a maid, walks into the hotel room of a man who has embezzled $100 millionand, seconds later walks out with a wastebasket full of accounts, overseas, possible Swiss (I think that was a metaphor, but possibly just been eating Toblerone). But the characters and cast who sell it, and they are a less predictable group than usual. Worthy, as a quietly tough, gay black super-snoop recently recovered from a nervous breakdown, stands out most noticeably, and I particularly liked A.J. Langer So-Called as abuttoned-up new operative still trailing her military-bred ideas of hierarchy and propriety though already beginning to crack.

Which is to say nothing against devious Eric Mabius or troubled Natalie Zea, or for that matter weary Reg Rogers, who, unfortunately, disappears after episode. Above all there is Daly, with- out whom there might not be enough show to show up for. Aging or not aging remarkably well, he plays Harlan as the very picture of insouciance, swamping his opponents in ironic bonhomie and pitching most of his lines for dry comedy, even when a life is at stake. He never breathes hard or cracks a sweat, nor would you want him to this is not that sort of fantasy. solve their cases with style from Page E1 By David Bauder Associated Press NEW YORK Three weeks into his new job as anchorman of the Evening Bob folksy, conversational approach to stories has added a new wrinkle to a format that is among the most ritualized in TV news.

Far more than competitors Brian Williams and Peter Jennings, Schieffer engages his correspondents in on-air conversations about their stories. recent years come to think that the best way to do a newscast is the way reporters talk to each other in the said Schieffer, who became the interim anchor March 10 after Dan Rather stepped down. no immediate evidence that the changes have paid off in the ratings for CBS, which continues to run a distant third behind NBC and ABC for the evening news. Schieffer introduced Barry report about the Indonesian earthquake on broadcast by saying, poor people. going to happen now? just been through one and now this Later, talking with reporter Mark Strassman at the vigil for Terri Schiavo, he said: family has been at each other for so long, do you think come together for the burial questions are often only of the going variety.

But, he said, how people talk to one another. writing a story about a five-alarm fire next door, say something like: roaring five-alarm fire driven by 40 mile-per-hour winds burned its way through a how it would read in a he said. fine. putting all the facts up where people can absorb it. If you walked into the newsroom, the first thing say is, this big fire next door.

Have you heard about When Schieffer asked Byron Pitts, stationed in Baghdad, what it felt like to be there, Pitts responded by saying he prayed before leaving his room each morning and prayed again when he got back safely. far more memorable than giving the casualty report, Schieffer said. There are still growing pains, since some correspondents are plainly more comfortable than others with the off-the-cuff conversations. wanted a show that fit what he does executive producer Jim Murphy said of Schieffer, a courtly Texan used to cutting through rhetoric on the each week. Interaction between the anchor and correspondents is much less frequent on other newscasts.

It happened on of the CBS stories during first eight days, compared to on News and on said Andrew Tyndall, a consultant who analyzes the content of news programs. It looks like a more comfortable newscast since Rather left, he said. feel like under fire Tyndall said. acting like been given a fresh Considering Rather was dogged throughout his career by critics who considered him biased against conservatives, somewhat ironic that one of the first changes after he leaves is for the newscast to interject more personal feelings. During a story about the baseball steroid scandal, Schieffer said it took for Jose Canseco to ask for immunity from Congress.

He commented on one developments during the Michael Jackson trial that the prosecution would have trouble proving its case. Schieffer said seeking to offer analysis, not opinion. Given that Schieffer, 68, said having time of my doing the newscast, would he be interested in being more than an interim replacement? really know how long going to he said. told them I would do it as long as they feel I can be helpful. I have no reason to believe going to be longer than three months.

tell you the truth, if they came to me and said we want you to do it for a while, I know what I would So how you doing, Bob? For Schieffer, the interim anchor of the best way to tell a story is to engage correspondents in on-air off-the-cuff conversations. Associated Press FOLKSY: Schieffer says after analysis, not opinion. Where: ABC When: 10-11 p.m. Wednesdays Ratings: TV-14-S (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14, with anadvisory for sex) Tim Daly Judd Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon Gage A.J. Langer Bardo Laura Leighton Town Eric Mabius McCann Rick Worthy Didion Natalie Zea Agermeyer Executive producer and creator, John McNamara.

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