Nellie Andreeva

It was another case of “when the cat’s away…” last night as Fox and ABC battled it out last night while CBS’ formidable Monday lineup was once again in repeats. But CBS wasn’t completely out — a repeat of Two And A Half Men (3.0/7 in adults 18-49, 10 million viewers) was the top-rated and most-watched program of the night against mostly original competition on the other networks. Both Fox dramas, House (2.8/8) and Alcatraz (2.7/7), were down 10% from last week. Alcatraz is shaping up to be as big a DVR player as J.J. Abrams’ other Fox series, Fringe, gaining 37% in Live+3 last week. Fox (2.8/7, 8.5 million) won the night in 18-49 and total viewers. ABC’s The Bachelor (2.6/7) was down 4% from last week, while Castle was a repeat. NBC’s Who’s Still Standing (1.7/5) was flat with last week, while Fear Factor (1.5/4) aired a rerun to replace the controversial donkey semen episode that was pulled at the last minute. Rock Center With Brian Williams (0.8/2) was down 50% from last week’s two-hour episode that featured a GOP debate. At the CW, the 100th episode of Gossip Girl (1.4 million, 0.8/3 in 18-34, 0.7/2 in 18-49) posted across-the-board gains from last week: 25% in total viewers, 14% in 18-34 and 17% in 18-49. Hart Of Dixie (1.5 million, 0.6/1 in 18-49) was up too, 21% in viewers and 20% in 18-49.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.