CBS OVERTAKES NBC IN QUEST FOR YOUNGER VIEWERS

The television world is topsy-turvy this fall -- and not just because “Desperate Housewives” temptress Nicollette Sheridan shed her towel on “Monday Night Football.”

CBS, for time immemorial the TV resting place for the Depends and dentures crowd, is poised to win the November sweep ratings period among young adults as well as total viewers. When did the network of “JAG” and “60 Minutes” last achieve this feat? The month Ronald Reagan was first elected president: November 1980.

Meanwhile, NBC -- which had a virtual airtight seal on young adults for 20 years, starting with “The Cosby Show” and continuing through “Cheers” and “Friends” -- is battling for second place with -- is it possible? -- ABC. Thanks in large part to the Sunday soap “Housewives,” ABC is having the last laugh on those who made the network the butt of industry jokes as recently as last summer.

For the current sweep, which ends tonight, CBS estimates that it will win among adults age 18 to 49 -- the demographic group most important to advertisers. Fox will finish a distant fourth.

As a result, CBS is looking for a clear edge in ad sales next spring, while long-dominant NBC is forced to hunt for programming innovations after watching its “must-see TV” advantage slip away, especially on Thursday nights. Many of NBC’s remaining hits are aging, such as “ER,” while new shows such as “Father of the Pride” and “Hawaii” are already off the schedule.

“It’s been a monumental November sweep for CBS,” Viacom co-chief operating officer Leslie Moonves, who oversees the network, told reporters in a Tuesday conference call. “We’re about to accomplish something that many thought was impossible for this network.”

CBS historically has delivered an older, more rural audience than its rivals. But since Moonves took over in 1995, the network has gradually developed series that appeal to young, upscale viewers, such as the reality hit “Survivor” and the forensics drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Several seasons back, Moonves made the risky decision to move both shows to Thursdays, opposite NBC’s then-invincible comedy lineup. The move has paid big dividends as both series have become among TV’s most-watched.

In young adults, CBS is up 11% and ABC up 5% compared with last November, while NBC is down 9% and Fox slipped 8%. In total viewers, CBS will finish No. 1 (14.4 million), trailed by NBC and ABC (10.7 million apiece).

But Moonves emphasized that youth-oriented success won’t change CBS’ big-tent strategy. “The foundation of our success has been to program to all viewers. We’re broadcasters at CBS, and it’s worked.”

NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly admitted the network has had a tough fall. “We’re not where we want to be right now, but we are where we expected to be in the fall because of the loss of ‘Friends’ and ‘Frasier,’ ” he said. Both shows ended their runs last May.

NBC’s new fall schedule was largely a bust, as highly touted offerings like “LAX” fell flat. “We don’t have a red-hot show like ‘Desperate Housewives’ or ‘CSI: New York,’ ” Reilly said.

But Reilly added that NBC still had the most upscale TV audience, with shows like “West Wing,” “The Apprentice” and “Will & Grace” attracting plenty of affluent viewers. “We’re still competitive and extremely profitable on Thursday night.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been ABC, which was given up for dead as recently as September but has been rejuvenated thanks to “Housewives,” the desert-island drama “Lost” and the reality hit “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

ABC executives declined to comment, but Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Primetime Entertainment, issued a statement: “We’re really encouraged by the start we’ve gotten off to this year, but for us it’s about all the work, not hype or spin. So we’re happy to let the numbers speak for themselves.”

It’s still early in the season. January will bring another round of new shows from all the networks. And it will also see the return of Fox’s monster hit “American Idol,” which could upset the ratings picture again.

“There’s a lot of television yet to go, and we’ll see where we end up,” Reilly said.