Gushing about USA Network's ratings

With so much downer ratings news lately, let's take a moment to give a victory lap to worthy cause: USA Network is airing five scripted original dramas simultaneously – "Burn Notice," "In Plain Sight," "Monk," "Psych" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

That's might be unprecedented for a cable network.

What's almost certainly unprecedented is that all five are considered hits.

The network just won the second quarter, beating all of cable, its eighth consecutive quarterly victory. During that time, USA's newest show, "Sight," was the highest-rated cable drama. In July, USA not only topped all of cable, but also bested repeat-addled CW.

"It's an example of how when you have a critical mass of shows running simultaneously the stronger ones can help boost the weaker ones," says TV historian Tim Brooks. "USA had 3 hits running concurrently in the late '90s, as did Lifetime a few years back, but I believe that five is a record -- at least at these rating levels."

USA has launched three new scripted series in the past two years and all went on to become the top-rated new show in at least one key demo. That "Monk" continues to perform as strong as ever in its seventh season is a gravity-defying act.

The network just won the second quarter, beating all of cable, its eighth consecutive quarterly victory. In July, USA not only topped all of cable, but also bested repeat-addled CW.

Bottom line: USA doesn't have to take as many swings at bat as a broadcast network, and the ratings bar isn't set nearly as high, but still ... most broadcasters would be thrilled to have five original dramas winning their time periods this fall.