'Survivor' tops debate-centric Thursday

The second episode of CBS' "Survivor" topped all entertainment programs in an unusual Thursday night in the ratings, with vice presidential debate coverage and analysis complicating broadcast schedules.

With only the 8 p.m. hour in play, "Survivor" (12.8 million viewers, 4.3 preliminary adults 18-39 rating and a 12 share) took the lead as the evening's highest-rated and most-watched show, though it dropped 4% from last week's two-hour debut.

NBC was second in the hour with back-to-back episodes of "My Name Is Earl" (averaging 7 million, 2.9/8), displaying a 7% gain from last week's series-low one-hour premiere.

ABC's "Ugly Betty" (8.6 million, 2.5/7) was third in the hour, falling slightly from last week. Fox aired back-to-back episodes of "Hole in the Wall" (averaging 3.5 million, 1.5/4).

Demo ratings for convention coverage are shaky at this point. The preliminary meter-market numbers show ABC with 7.7/11, NBC with 7.6/11 and CBS with 5.5/8.