Moving towards a 12 month tv season was supposed to save the networks, right? Well, that remains to be seen. Just a few years ago, summer was the time for burn-offs of cancelled series and multiple repeats of better performing series. The summer of 2002 seemed the stem that tide as every network (save the WB and the UPN) aired at least 30% new programming. The results were mixed. NBC and Fox soared, CBS did okay, while ABC soured. This weekly update (every Tuesday- Friday this week) will showcase the five most deserving series from the previous week.
 
 

Last Comic Standing	(NBC, Tues 9)	9.7mil viewers	16th
A pretty good start, but it did dip slightly in its second week. Still, 9.7mil is more than NBC averaged last spring with "Frasier" and "Watching Ellie," which is very, very sad.

American Juniors	(Fox, Tues 8)	8.7mil viewers	23rd
This was a big drop from the premiere just a week earlier, obviously not what Fox was hoping for. Though week 3 was up to 9.8mil, the Wednesday edition fell to 7.8mil. It's not looking long for the world, but then again, it's parent series didn't do much better than that when it first started, either.

Crime & Punishment	(NBC, Sun 10)	8.6mil viewers	26th
NBC's "real" version of "Law & Order" is back where it should be, and is doing slightly better than last season. Granted, so is "CI."

The Price Is Right	(CBS, Sat 8)	6.3mil viewers	58th
After breaking the top 30 for two consecutive weeks, the show backed off a bit. But still, when you outrank original episode of "Touched By an Angel" that aired during the regular season, you know you're doing well.

America's Next Top Model	(UPN, Tues 8)	3.4mil viewers	85th
Finally, the UPN has buzz! Though the series is cooling off after a hot start, but people are finally talking about a series on the UPN again, at least one that doesn't have "Buffy" in the title. Cheers!