'Invisible Evidence' Wins Thursday Night

See Also: 'Invisible Evidence' Episode Guide

Almost a month after it was originally supposed to air, "Invisible Evidence" mopped up the competition on Thursday night.

The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode scored a 20.3 rating / 29 share, according to overnight ratings figures published at Mediaweek. This means approximately 20.3 percent of American households with television sets were tuned into CSI, while the episode was viewed by 29 percent of households watching television at the time.

"Invisible Evidence" didn't score quite as highly as last week's "Jackpot" (story), which was the most-watched CSI episode this season. But the episode still bettered the overnight ratings performances of the two-part season premiere, "Assume Nothing" and "All For Our Country".

CSI was the most-watched programme of the night, comfortably winning its 9:00 p.m. timeslot. NBC's comedy double, Will & Grace (12.4/17) and Scrubs (9.7/13), finished in their usual second place, followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover (6.9/10).

Both of CSI's Thursday-night companions, Surivor and Without a Trace, were beaten by their NBC counterparts, Friends and ER. However, that couldn't stop CBS from continuing its strong November sweeps performance, winning the evening with a 15.4/22 rating, 10 percent about NBC's 14.0/20. Last year the position was reversed, with NBC besting CBS by 4 percent.

The final ratings for last week's CSI and CSI: Miami episodes were also released earlier this week at SFGate.com, with both series hitting season highs. Miami's "Hurricane Anthony" scored a 13.2/21 rating, which translated into a viewership of 19.5 million. The CSI spin-off was the seventh most-watched programme of the week.

CSI really hit the big time with "Jackpot", which was watched by 29.6 million viewers, the show's biggest audience this season. The episode, which had a national rating of 18.1/27, was the most-watched programme of the week, with over eight million viewers more than the runner-up, Survivor.

The original ratings news can be found at Mediaweek and SFGate.com.

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