There's good news for networks

NEW YORK — If it were a television series, it would be called "Defying the Odds."

Five weeks into a new television season, three of the four top broadcast networks have bigger audiences than they had in 2008. With cable networks flexing their muscles, digital video recorders becoming more popular and computer games cutting into free time, that's a small miracle.

No new shows burst onto the air as instant hits. But there weren't any embarrassing flameouts, either.

"There are a number of new shows that are very promising," said Marc Berman, an analyst for Media Week and publisher of "The Programming Insider." "There are seven or eight that could be around next year."

CBS is television's most popular network and, if anything, has strengthened its position. Fox is used to struggling until "American Idol" returns, but the buzzworthy "Glee" gives executives hope for a new musical franchise. While struggling NBC has seen few promising signs, its freefall appears over.

ABC is the only network down from last year, due primarily to audiences slipping away from established shows like "Desperate Housewives," "Dancing With the Stars" and "Brothers & Sisters."

Unlike past years, "it doesn't feel like the business is totally collapsing," said Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling chief. The veteran executive said it looked like networks had the best crop of newcomers that it's had in years.

CBS has established Tuesday as the most popular night of television, much like NBC did with its comedies and the drama "ER" in the 1990s.

"NCIS" is TV's top-ranked show this fall, by a healthy margin. Its viewership is up 22 percent over last fall, according to the Nielsen Co., and it was growing then, too. The spinoff "NCIS: Los Angeles" and Julianna Margulies' new drama, "The Good Wife," have both succeeded in the time slots following the blockbuster.

"They've never been able to put stuff behind ('NCIS') that holds the audience," said Steve Sternberg, a television analyst formerly with Magna Global. "Now they have."

Moving the Monday night comedy "The Big Bang Theory" from an earlier time slot to 8:30 p.m. MT has also paid off for CBS. The show is up 48 percent in viewers from a year ago, Nielsen said.

The medical drama "Three Rivers" isn't expected to last too long on CBS. With "ER" off the air, efforts to establish a new medical drama have largely failed. NBC's "Mercy" has a slight edge over its action-oriented "Trauma."

Maybe folks just prefer the established doctors: Ratings are up for Fox's "House."