Nielsen's numbers are fraudulent. They don't measure millions of homes, just 10,000. So I guess if most of the Nielsen families watch one show and not one other person in America watches it, then its automatically a great show and is watched by 20-30 million and is # 1? That's not right. And all the networks are just trying to copy the top shows and cater to the Nielsen families instead to all of us because all that matters is if a majority of those 10,000 people like the show or not, not the 200,000,000 rest of us. I could really care less about what shows Nielsen says are the tops, I'll bet the real top 20 looks nothing like the top 20 they always put out there.

Nielsen's numbers are fraudulent. They don't measure millions of homes, just 10,000. So I guess if most of the Nielsen families watch one show and not one other person in America watches it, then its automatically a great show and is watched by 20-30 million and is # 1? That's not right. And all the networks are just trying to copy the top shows and cater to the Nielsen families instead to all of us because all that matters is if a majority of those 10,000 people like the show or not, not the 200,000,000 rest of us. I could really care less about what shows Nielsen says are the tops, I'll bet the real top 20 looks nothing like the top 20 they always put out there.

i don't understand why 2.5 men isn't higher. my wife and i laugh nonstop for the 20 minutes that show is on.
where is Medium? we never miss an episode of that. the same goes for ghost whisperer and moonlight.
we don't watch any of the reality shows, and wonder how the h*ll they attract so many people.

More broadcast ratings detail for those interested:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/20/american-idol-dancing-with-the-stars-and-csi-lead-weekly-nielsen-ratings/3846

Shocked Lost is so low. Don't understand why Reaper isn't on there, it's much more billiant than any of the CSI shows. I've never really followed CSI 'cause I've always been a huge SVU fan, CSI just never interested me, don't get the appeal. The Law & Order franchise always seemed more realistic vs CSI seeming more stylized.

Wasn't Samantha Who? on this week too? Why don't people watch that? It's better written and acted than 2.5 men.

I'll never understand the appeal of Dancing with the Stars. How it's up so high and why people even watch it is beyond me. Most of those people aren't even stars, they're has beens, and if people like this so much, why don't they like the VH1 Celebreality shows equally? Those are full of hasbeen stars too.

I don't know why Hells Kitchen is on there, I've always felt uncomfortable watching that show because I think Ramsey crosses the line of tv mean vs really mean. Extreme Makeover, while doing a good thing for a needy family, is more about exploiting the current weeks family's troubles for ratings. This show has never seemed as something that honestly tries to be helpful, instead it's seemed as a show that uses that helpfulness as a means to a rating$ end.

Television is screwed up right now, hopefully when the fall season starts and the strikes aftermath has settled down, it'll get back to a good place.

I've just started watching HIMYM and I like it. 2.5 Men, not so much. I'm sad Lost is so low.

American Idol makes me cringe seeing it in the top spot week after week. I can't believe that so many people still watch that show.

My two answers are sort of related.

I watch HIMYM and I really don't get why not a lot more people watch it and yet Two and a Half Men is consistently in the Top 20. I'm not really knocking 2 1/2 Men, but it is pretty crazy how it's the ONLY half hour show listed this week. Why aren't any other sitcoms getting that kind of love?