“NCIS” is rated #1 show for this season. This show has been ranked in the top 10 for the past 2 seasons, but has now plunged ahead to grab the ultimate # 1 spot. Serving as a prelude, “NCIS” even helped increase “The Mentalist’s” ratings. This veteran series is increasing its popularity, due to its intense and exciting story-lines, coupled by the passionate work of its actors, as they portray real life crime issues and/ or problems.

Although there are new shows that seem to be holding their own, “NCIS” is still leading the pack. Shows, such as “Community”, “The Middle”, “Modern Family”, and ‘Flash Forward” are doing well , but not reaching the “top” levels, as ”NCIS” has accomplished. There are several new shows that have already been terminated, such as “Hank” and “The Beautiful Life”, whereas shows such as, “Three Rivers”, “Jay Leno’, “The Forgotten”, “Fox’s Brothers”, “Melrose Place”, and “Trauma” have slid down in their ratings. The shows that are returning next season , but have problems to contend with are “Cold Case”, “Numbers”, “Ugly Betty”, “Till Death”, and “Fringe”, while the series, ”Accidently on Purpose” is on shaky ground. On a more positive note, the show,”V”, has a promising future, as does “The Vampire Diaries”, which is a smash, especially for the young female generation. The Nielsen Media Research findings say that Television viewing has increased this year by approximately 4 minutes per person.

This is partly due to the economy, with individuals spending more time at home in front of their televisions. Whatever the reason, it is helping many shows advance in their ratings. The main concern is that if a new show is not aired at a convenient time for its viewers, it barely has a chance in the race for higher ratings. This is one obstacle that novice series must work through. Since the average American family (household) watches television approximately 8 hours and 21 minutes per day, shows must compete for innovative scripts, intense characters, exciting plots, and convenient show schedules. With all of this in mind, it is a tough journey for a show to make, but a necessary one in order to claim success!