Wednesday ratings seesaw: ABC down, CBS up

UPDATED: ABC's drama lineup sank further during its second week on the air, leaving the network in fourth place Wednesday night.

Though "Pushing Daisies" (5.5 million viewers, 2.0  adults 18-49 rating and a 6 share) held steady in the nationals, "Private Practice" (7.4 million 2.6/6) and "Dirty Sexy Money" (5.9 million, 2.0/6) slumped when they needed to rise after last week's disappointing second-season premieres. "Private" fell 21%, and "Money" dropped 17%.

CBS was apparently the primary beneficiary of ABC's drop -- its entire lineup enjoyed gains from last week to help the network once again win the night.

"Old Christine" (7.5 million, 2.2/7) and "Gary Unmarried" (7.4 million, 2.4/6) each climbed two tenths. "Criminal Minds" (16.2 million, 4.3/11) recovered somewhat after last week's steep drop, up about 10%. "CSI: NY" (15.9 million, 4.3/12) gained a couple notches and ranked as the highest-rated show of the night.

In second place, Fox's "Bones" (10.6 million, 3.4/10) climbed 6% to win the 8 p.m. hour, though both episodes of " 'Til Death" (4.6 million, 1.7/5 and 3.8 million, 1.4/4) slipped a peg from last week. "Bones" is an under-the-radar procedural that lacks the heavy promotion of sexier dramas such as "House," "Fringe" and "Terminator." Its time-period-winning, self-starting performance has been a low-maintenance bright spot for Fox this season.

In third, NBC's "Knight Rider" (6.9 million, 2.3/7) slipped a notch after holding steady last week. "Biggest Loser: Families" (6.6 million, 2.7/7) took over for "America's Got Talent" in the slot. At 10 p.m., "Lipstick Jungle" (4.8 million, 1.9/5) dropped a tenth to come in third place.

The CW's "America's Next Top Model" (3.9 million, 1.8/5) fell slightly, though was flat among adults 18-34, and was followed by a repeat.