Another strong showing for <I>Desperate Housewives</i> (14113)

Desperate Housewives is only getting stronger for ABC. In its third outing Sunday, the network's hot-shot suburban drama posted its highest ratings yet in the adults 18-49 demographic group, dominating even Fox's live coverage of American League Championship Series baseball. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition also delivered impressive numbers at 8 p.m., but ABC's other new Sunday drama, The Practice spin-off Boston Legal, continues to have trouble holding on to its Housewives coattails at 10 p.m.

Housewives topped the Sunday standings with 20.6 million viewers and 9.4 rating/21 share in the adults 18-49 demographic at 9 p.m., according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. The heat of Housewives made it another tough outing for NBC's competing drama, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (11.5 million, 4.1/9). Housewives also enjoyed a leg up from Makeover (15.1 million, 6/4/16) at 8 p.m. But at 10 p.m., NBC's Crossing Jordan (12.5 million, 4.5/11) topped ABC's Boston Legal (11.6 million, 4.6/11) in viewers and came within a hair of a tie in the key demographic.

CBS's numbers were thrown off for the night by a football overrun that spilled over into the first hour of prime time. Reliable national ratings for Fox's live coverage of game 4 of the American League World Series baseball, which saw the Boston Red Sox stage a late rally to keep the New York Yankees from sealing their AL championship berth, won't be available until Tuesday, but preliminary estimates indicate a solid if not spectacular turnout. For the night, ABC was expected to win the adults 18-49 demographic derby (5.7/14) and place number 2 to Fox in total viewers (ABC's 13.8 million).