Ratings: Is Hot Gossip Cooling Off?

• Nov 11, 2008 12:22 PM ET
• by Matt Mitovich

Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, Gossip Girl

This Monday's ratings recap:

8 pm/ET
Dancing with the Stars stepped up seven percent week-to-week, to average 18.6 million total viewers over its 90-minute run. Once again besting DWTS in the demos was CBS' Big Bang Theory, which finally cracked the 10 million ceiling. In turn, lead-out How I Met Your Mother inched up 150K to deliver 9.7 mil. 

Chuck placed third with 6.23 mil (up a hair over its last outing), followed by Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (5.19 mil). Gossip Girl cooled off by another 150 thou, grinding against what I believe to be a season low of three mil.

9 pm
Two and a Half Men won the front half of the hour, with 14.58 million viewers; Samantha Who? then climbed on top with 11.03 mil. Worst Week had a typical week, delivering 9.62 mil. Heroes tumbled another 330K — to hit a new series low of 7.83 mil — while Prison Break (5.4 mil) gained 175 thou. Tree Hill held steady at 3.01 mil (aka juuuuust a bit higher than Gossip Girl).

10 pm
CSI: Miami's 150th episode drew an audience of 13.67 million and dominated the demos. Boston Legal placed second with 8.8 mil. My Own Worst Enemy plunged another mil to hit 4.25 mil, representing a 42 percent deterioration of its premiere audience.