Virginia Sherwood/NBC

A TV buff like Rosie O'Donnell knows the Nielsen score: Rosie Live ain't living on.

On her website Friday, O'Donnell wrote, in her usual undercase, shorthand style, that "there will b no more" variety specials.

Rosie Live, broadcast, yes, live on NBC on Wednesday, was billed not only as O'Donnell's return to TV after her public divorce from The View, but as TV's return to the random-guest-star ways of the variety genre.

You know the line about how you can't go home again to The Carol Burnett Show…?

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Rosie O'Donnell didn't go head-to-head with foe Barbara Walters Wednesday night. Which was a good thing. For O'Donnell.

The comic had trouble enough drawing a crowd for Rosie Live. The NBC variety special was watched by only about 5 million, per Nielsen estimates, worse than Knight Rider, the network's usual 8-9 p.m. occupant.

In the 10 p.m. hour, Walters scored 11.5 million for her ABC interview special with President-elect Barack Obama.

CBS' CSI: NY (12.2 million) was Wednesday's most watched show.

Last night, CBS' CSI (10.6 million) won the Thanksgiving battle of the repeats. ABC's Grey's Anatomy was its typically weak rerun self, averaging 5.5 million for a second serving of its two-hour season premiere.

ABC/KELSEY McNEAL

Historic it wasn't. Effective it was.

ABC won Tuesday with the Brooke Burke-crowning Dancing With the Stars finale (20.6 million viewers, per Nielsen estimates) and the popcorn-popping A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (11.1 million).

Overall, Dancing's audience was down about 4 million viewers from last fall's finale when Hélio Castroneves claimed the glitter ball

CBS' NCIS (18.2 million) was the most-watched show located outside of a ballroom. Fox's House (12.5 million) scored the most adults 18-49 of any non-jitterbugging entertainment.

The 9 p.m. hour marked another tug-of-war between Fox's Fringe and CBS' The Mentalist.

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John P. Johnson/HBO

Fringe or The Mentalist? Gossip Girl or Supernatural? Twilight or True Blood? Which shows were the bigger hits last week?

The answers, and other highlights from the latest weekly ratings standings:

• CBS' The Mentalist (15.8 million) was TV's most-watched freshman, but Fox's Fringe (9.2 million) made its mark as the No. 1 new show among the coveted 18-49 demo.

• Gossip Girl (2.9 million) might be the CW's signature show, but America's Next Top Model (4.8 million), Smallville (4.2 million) and Supernatural (3.3 million) signed off on bigger audiences.

• Okay, Twilight's not a TV show. But it was a hit. Just like HBO's True Blood, which took a bite out of 2.4 million in its season finale. How much did its audience grow from September premiere to Sunday? A whopping 71 percent.

• The Monday edition of ABC's Dancing With the Stars (19.6 million) was TV's most-watched show. The network also scored TV's biggest hit among  the 18-49 set with Grey's Anatomy (15.9 million overall).

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ABC / Craig Sjodin, Cliff Lipson/CBS

Monday was good to Dancing With the Stars and How I Met Your Mother. Not so much for Heroes.

The first part of Dancing's fall season finale was as big as the show's season opener, with 21.3 million viewers, up 1.7 million from last week, Nielsen estimates said.

CBS' Mother scored with a season-high 10.1 million, the network said. Its companion comedy, The Big Bang Theory, continued to blow up, clicking with a series-best 10.2 million.

On NBC, Heroes' heroes lost their powers. The struggling show itself held steady, with 7.8 million viewers, about even with last week. On the downside, it ran third among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m. 

The CW's One Tree Hill (2.2 million) has drawn bigger crowds (it even ran fourth among women 18-34), as has Fox's lineup, which wasn't competitive with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (4.6 million) and Prison Break (5.2 million).

Kelsey McNeal/FOX

Torture's out. Guantanamo Bay's going. All things considered, Jack Bauer's doing OK.

Last night's 24 prequel special, 24: Redemption, averaged 12.1 million viewers, Nielsen estimates said, and delivered the Fox franchise to a bigger audience than where the series left off 18 long months ago.

From 8-10 p.m., the TV-movie ran second in viewers and adults 18-49 behind the resurgent American Music Awards on ABC.

Prior to Sunday, the last new 24 aired in May 2007. The show sat out the entire 2007-08 season due to the writers' strike.

In the interim, one of the the features that helped make 24 a favorite of President George W. Bush's administration—namely, Jack Bauer's use of torture as a negotiating tool—fell out of favor.

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Andrew Eccles/NBC

The last thing Lipstick Jungle needed? Eliot Spitzer's, um, lady friend.

On Friday, ABC's 20/20 rode an interview with Ashley Dupré, the, um, escort whose, um, relationship with Spitzer drove the politician from New York's governorship, to a season-best 8.2 million viewers, Nielsen estimates said.

Airing opposite the Diane Sawyer "get," and CBS' typically solid Numb3rs (11.2 million), Lipstick Jungle was abandoned by all but 3.3 million, down 8 percent from its previous weak performance.

Among all-important adults 18-49, the endangered NBC show barely registered, pulling a 1.1 rating.

A TiVo favorite, Lipstick's numbers will look better once a week's worth of DVR playback is added in. But they're still not going to look as good as Spitzer's, um, you know.

ABC/RANDY HOLMES

The chick magnet still has it. The guest-star thing still isn't working for Tina Fey.

Last night's Grey's Anatomy dominated among women and adults 18-49, Nielsen estimates said. Overall, the episode, featuring another curious appearance by Izzie's dearly beloved—and dead—Denny, scored with 15.7 million, up nearly 1 million from last week.

30 Rock's latest foray into Will & Grace territory—Steve Martin was this week's stunt guest, after Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston—recorded the show's latest down week (7.3 million). 

The return of Toby to The Office was greeted by 8.4 million, up a tick from last week. The show was NBC's biggest comedy in viewers and adults 18-49. 

With ABC on a cancellation binge, Life on Mars (8 million) did well to stay even with last week. But it still ran third in the demo behind ER (9.1 million overall) and Eleventh Hour (10.7 million overall).

CSI did its thing—it got killed in the key demos by Grey's but won the night in viewers (18.4 million, down from last week).

ABC/DANNY FELD

Update, 5:11 p.m.: E! News reports that ABC has canceled Pushing Daisies.

If Pushing Daisies is on probation, it's pushing its luck.

Last night's episode averaged a series-low 4.86 million viewers, Nielsen estimates said, and pulled an all-time worst rating among adults 18-49.

Last Friday, E! News reported that Pushing Daisies' performance in the next two weeks was "critical" to the survival of the ratings-challenged cult favorite.

There was good news for the show and its fans. And for that, Knight Rider is owed thanks.

ABC was quick to point out that Pushing topped its NBC time-slot rival for the first time in the all-important 18-49 demo. Overall, though, Pushing ran an anemic third in that race.

Elsewhere, CBS' Gary Unmarried (8.1 million) and the season finale of the CW's America's Next Top Model (4.8 million) pulled season highs, while CBS' Criminal Minds (15.8 million) drew the night's biggest crowd.

Monty Brinton/CBS

What if CSI wasn't CSI?

Last week, the CBS crime show was what it's been for most of this decade: TV's most-watched drama series.

But what if, suddenly,  21 million viewers, as top hit CSI is averaging for the season, became 13 million?

Then a new AOL Television poll will have been right on the money.

In the poll, 37 percent of respondents said they won't watch CSI after William Petersen exits at midseason.

About 41 percent effectively put the series on probation, saying "maybe" they'll keep tuning in, post-Grissom—it all "depends on how good [Petersen sub] Laurence Fishburne is."

Elsewhere, Lipstick Jungle's numbers are in the spin cycle, plus nine other lessons from the latest Nielsen rankings and stats...

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Aaron Tomlinson for CBS

Barack Obama's television approval ratings are through the roof.

Last night's 60 Minutes, featuring a sit-down with the president-elect and wife Michelle Obama, scored a commanding 24.5 million viewers, Nielsen estimates said.

CBS said the audience was the newsmagazine's biggest since at least the late 20th century—or January 1999. The show dominated every major demographic group, even kids 12-17.

While Obama repeatedly has proved he can pack a house on his own, he surely owes the NFL for at least some of last night's crowd. In many markets, the Obama 60 Minutes aired right after the conclusion of CBS' Sunday football coverage.

Elsewhere,  ABC's Desperate Housewives (16.6 million) was the night's most watched non-Obama, nonfootball show.  

Nicole Rivelli/NBC

So about those big-name guest stars on 30 Rock...

Last night's episode, featuring Jennifer Aniston, and, as an added bonus for fans of vintage NBC Thursdays, a Night Court cast reunion, was watched by a season-low 7.5 million, Nielsen estimates report.

The show's previous low (8.1 million) came a week ago, when no less than Oprah Winfrey appeared.

Overall, 30 Rock, bolstered more by Tina Fey's rising star than any one guest star, is bigger than ever, averaging 8.1 million through the first three weeks of its season.

Elsewhere last night, the return of Anthony Edwards to ER had an anti-Aniston effect: boosting the NBC show by 1.2 million viewers over last week, to 9.8 million overall.

CBS' CSI (18.9 million) was Thursday's most watched show.