TVSquad

There are two significant things to take from the news that Army Wives will return for a fourth season. One, the predominantly female viewership of Lifetime has embraced the series about the lives of Army personnel and their families on the Fort Marshall post in Charleston, South Carolina; and two, scripted dramas are on the rise all across the cable networks. It also means that this finely acted, well-written and well produced show is going to be around for the next couple of years at least.

You would think that the highest-rated Comedy Central show of all-time would either be an episode of South Park or one of the nightly news satire programs, The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. It's actually none of those. The biggest audience-getter was a Christmas special featuring various puppets.

The Sunday debut of Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special grabbed 6. 6 million viewers. South Park held the record before and is now in second place.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

While I'm really, really happy that Burn Notice grabbed the #6 slot this week, I'm a little bummed out that Mad Men didn't make the top 10. In fact, it didn't even make it in anywhere near the top 10, despite getting two million viewers for its season premiere. Still, that's better than the ratings for last season.

1. The Closer (TNT)
2. NASCAR Sprint Cup (ESPN)
3. Saving Grace (TNT)
4. Monk (USA)
5. Hannah & Miley (Disney)
6. Burn Notice (USA)
7. Monday Night RAW (USA)
8. Law and Order: CI (USA)
9. Yankees vs. Red Sox (ESPN)
10. In Plain Sight (USA)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Yes! The second season premiere of Burn Notice hit #2 this week! Sure, it was expected, but that doesn't mean it's not fantastic news. USA has a ton of shows in the top 10, actually, taking six of the spots. Those Sprint Cup races seem to make an appearance every week now, as do Army Wives on Lifetime and something on Disney Channel that features a Hannah and/or a Jonas brother.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. Burn Notice (USA)
3. Sprint Cup - Chicago (TNT)
4. In Plain Sight (USA)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. Law and Order: CI (USA)
7. Picture This (ABC Family)
8. Camp Rock (Disney)
9. Law and Order: SVU (USA)
10. Army Wives (Lifetime)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

That's right, not only does Monday Night RAW retake the #1 spot on the cable ratings this week, it takes up three spots in the top 10. That doesn't seem fair, does it? I can hear the people at Disney asking, "why aren't the two hours of Camp Rock split into two different spots? Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Fine, we'll just run Camp Rock every hour for the entire week and we'll see what the ratings are!"

(And yes, SpongeBob is on the list yet again. It's comforting to see him there almost every week.)

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. BET Awards (BET)
3. Sprint Cup Racing - Loudon (TNT)
4. Monday Night RAW (USA)
5. In Plain Sight (USA)
6. Camp Rock (Disney)
7. Monday Night RAW (USA)
8. Law and Order: CI (USA)
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Disney)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

The big news I guess is that this week, in between all of the NBA Playoffs and the usual slots taken up by SpongeBob and wrestling, is that the debut episode of USA's In Plain Sight hit number 6 in the ratings. With the NBA Finals on ABC, next week's cable ratings should look a lot different.

1. NBA Playoffs - Lakers/Spurs (TNT)
2. NBA Playoffs - Lakers/Spurs (TNT)
3. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
4. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
5. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
6. In Plain Sight (USA)
7. The Andromeda Strain - Part 2 (A&E)
8. The Andromeda Strain - Part 1 (A&E)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. Monday Night RAW (USA)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Hey, did you hear there were a few basketballs games last week?

The NBA Playoffs - various teams against each other on two different networks - dominated the cable ratings. Monday Night RAW got the board too, while SpongeBob squeezed his way into the last spot.

1. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (TNT)
2. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (TNT)
3. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (ESPN)
4. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (TNT)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (ESPN)
7. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (TNT)
8. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (ESPN)
9. Monday Night RAW (USA)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Wait, no SpongeBob SquarePants this week? Actually, two episodes of the show just missed making the top 10. Probably because a certain cranky doctor named House decided to go on a rampage this week and take up three spots. The NBA Playoffs are rather popular too.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. NFL Draft (ESPN)
3. Monday Night RAW (USA)
4. NBA Playoffs (TNT)
5. House (USA)
6. House (USA)
7. House (USA)
8. NBA Playoffs (ESPN)
9. NBA Playoffs (TNT)
10. Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

A rather odd top 10 in the cable ratings this week. Not only did Monday Night RAW get pushed around a bit (down to #'s 4 and 6 for both hours because of strong showings for Rock Of Love and a Lifetime movie), but SpongeBob SquarePants has come back with a vengeance. He's not going to take any crap from anyone anymore.

1. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
2. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Lifetime)
3. Rock Of Love (VH-1)
4. Monday Night RAW (USA)
5. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
6. Monday Night RAW (USA)
7. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

So...NCIS not only makes an appearance in the Nielsen network ratings every week, now the repeats on cable are in the top 10? This show has staying power.

Other than that, no surprises here. Monday Night RAW gets back in the top slots, SpongeBob and Hannah Montana make appearances, and The Wizards of Waverly Place continues to grow. I guess if there's one other surprise is that a movie on Spike made it all the way to number four.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. Monday Night RAW (USA)
3. The Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney)
4. Spike TV Movie (Spike)
5. The Hills (MTV)
6. iCarly (Nickelodeon)
7. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
8. NCIS (USA)
9. The Hills (MTV)
10. Hannah Montana (Disney)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

A rather mixed up top 10 in the cable ratings this week. Not only did a bunch of kids and a certain green, slimy substance knock around the Monday Night RAW wrestlers, MTV pushed into the list with two shows, America's Best Dance Crew and The Hills. No Hannah Montana or iCarly in sight this week.

But nothing can stop the SpongeBob SquarePants juggernaut.

1. Kids Choice Awards (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

I just realized that I don't watch any of the shows in this week's top ten cable ratings. I mean, yeah, I've seen episodes of Law and Order: SVU and SpongeBob SquarePants in the past but they aren't shows I watch regularly. As for Monday Night RAW, Hannah Montana, iCarly, and Ella Enchanted...well, they're not really made for me I guess.

I think the last time something was in the top ten here that I watch regularly was Burn Notice.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. Monday Night RAW (USA)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

OK, now this looks like the weekly cable ratings that we're used to seeing. Recent weeks have seen shows such as college basketball and election coverage get into the top 10, but this week we're back to the normal dominance of wrestlers and Nickelodeon stars.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. Monday Night RAW (USA)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Spongebob is usually in the top 10 every week, but this week he seems to have gone on some campaign to take it over completely. He grabbed the second slot (actually first in households) and four other slots, while the Duke/North Carolina basketball game grabbed number 1. Project Runway's entry was the season finale, and that election coverage on CNN is from Tuesdays Texas/Ohio/Vermont/Rhode Island primaries.

1. College Basketball - Duke vs. NC (ESPN)
2. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Yes, I did a double take too: is that really NCIS in the top 10 of the cable ratings? I'm used to seeing it in the top 20 every week in the network TV ratings (even though I don't know anyone who watches or even talks about it), but I was surprised to see the USA rerun at number 9 for the week. Project Runway makes an appearance this week, along with the usual suspects Spongebob, iCarly, wrestling, and election coverage.

1. Democratic Debate (MSNBC)
2. Debate Coverage/Analysis (MSNBC)