Ratings: Sweet Mother, Best Worst and (Another!) Biggest Bang
How I Met Your Mother
Just another manic Monday for the CBS sitcoms. Let's break it down:
8 pm/ET
Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother easily command the top spot, with the former notching yet another series' best — 11.42 million total viewers. Mother, meanwhile, gained nine percent to deliver its largest audience since Jan. 9, 2006. (Read Barney's letter to Santa.)
Chuck claimed runner-up status with 7.56 mil, up 630K week-to-week. Trailing ABC's Charlie Brown special, Sarah Connor's midseason finale scored 5.29 mil, up a hair from last week.
9 pm
Two and a Half Men surged 15 percent to flirt with 18 million viewers, its largest audience since May 16, 2005 (the night of the Everybody Loves Raymond series finale). In turn, Worst Week (12.12 mil) soared 14 percent to set an all-time high.
Heroes held steady at 7.78 mil, as it bid the "Villains" adieu. Prison Break (5.73 mil) added 340 thou.
10 pm
CSI: Miami dominated with 14.46 million viewers (up 860K), its best numbers since Feb. 26, 2007. Worst Enemy inched up a hair, to 4.08 mil.
Sunday ratings addendum: Dexter's season finale gave Showtime 1.51 million viewers with its 9 pm airing, and two mil including the later rebroadcast. Californication nearly scored a million over two plays of its own season ender.