The Winners: Underbelly episode one at 8.30pm averaged 1.826 million people and episode two at 9.30pm, 1.803 million. And that was the night. Seven News was next with 1.656 million people and Today Tonight was on 1.581 million. Nine News was 5th with 1.292 million and Missing Pieces, the new Nine program at 8pm averaged 1.271 million in a solid first outing. A Current Affair averaged 1.232 million for 7th, with the 7pm ABC News next with 1.129 million. The elimination episode of The Biggest Loser on Ten averaged 1.122 million from 7pm and 10th was Home and Away at 7pm with 1.111 million for Seven. You Saved My Life averaged 1.088 million at 7.30pm for Nine on debut and the repeat of Two And A Half Men at 7pm averaged 1.063 million. The episode of Australian Story at 8pm averaged 1.007 million in 13th and 14th was Desperate Housewives at 8.30pm with 1.006 million viewers. Top Gear on SBS, 991,000. How I Met Your Mother at 7.30pm for Seven, 992,000.

The Losers: Scrubs at 8pm — poor: 957,000. Spooks on the ABC at 9.35pm, 567,000. Celebrity Plastic Surgery on Ten at 7.30pm (and not So You Think You can Dance Australia which ends next Sunday), 624,000. Helps explain why Ten averaged an 18% All People share last night. The NCIS repeat at 9.30pm on Ten, 757,000. (Ten doesn’t have anything else to fill up that sort of timeslot). Brothers and Sisters on Seven at 9.30pm, 733,000.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally as did Today Tonight. Audiences for Nine News and ACA were a touch higher, especially in Melbourne and that will be claimed by Nine and Eddie as a sign that Hot Seat will work at 5.30pm. But it is an expensive, revenue and profit destroying program. The 7.30 Report averaged 958,000, Four Corners, 892,000 on recession, Media Watch, 738,000. Lateline, 269,000, Lateline Business, 149,000. Ten News, 977,000. The late News/Sports Tonight, 442,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 190.000, 134,000 for the late News at 9.30pm. 7am Sunrise, 360,000, 7am Today, 320,000. Closer.

The Stats: Nine won with a 6pm to midnight All People share of 32.2% (21.9%) with fresh Underbelly back. Seven is on 24.4% (26.6%), Ten with 18.9% (24.1%), the ABC with 16.3% (19.1%) and SBS 8.1% (8.8%). Nine won all five metro markets and leads the week 31.1% to 24.9% for Seven. Nine should win the week.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Was the person playing the Brain Alexander character in Underbelly (who was portrayed as a smoker and drinker) the same character that was in an anti-smoking ad during Underbelly? It is showing signs of viewer fatigue with the audience average down by around 700,000. But there was no easing in the back to back episodes: everyone stayed glued to their sets watching.

Australian Story was clearly the best program on TV last night. It should really have been an hour to tell the story of former cricket legend, Keith Miller, in one go. It was Australian Story at its best, looking at a person warts and all. Children and friends discussed Miller’s life, his achievements and his family problems. The answer was believable and understandable. A fine bit of TV.

Australian Story showed the Miller legend and then started breaking it down into pieces and putting it back together.

TONIGHT: Foreign Correspondent at 8pm on the ABC is on the US military academy at West Point. Yes, nice magazine story, but there’s other stories where a 28 minute long report would do well. Ten has The Biggest Loser, NCIS, Bondi Rescue and Lie To Me. Three of those will do well and probably give Ten the night, or go close. It will win 16 to 39 and 18 to 49.

Seven has Home and Away, fresh Animal Rescue and Find My Family, plus All Saints and then the new program 10 Years Younger in 10 Days at 9.30pm for an hour.

Nine has three Two and a Half Men, a reworked Funniest Home Videos and then Commercial Breakdown (how new!). Plus Hell’s Kitchen.

SBS has Insight.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports