The show – which is losing Rob Lowe at the end of this season – is due to return in Fall 2010 with a 22 episode fifth season

Via THR:

ABC has renewed “Brothers & Sisters” for a fifth season. The Sally Field soap opera has had, I think, five show runners in four seasons. Maybe they can somehow get back to the show’s basic premise, from which it has seriously drifted, next fall …

This show had a fantastic start to the season and was benefitting heavily from having the hard hitter Desperate Housewives as its lead in. However of late, the show has been dwindling probably because of the hit that ‘Housewives’ has taken.

On a night with the return of Jack Bauer and the premiere of Human Target, it was CBS’ NFL coverage that led the eye to victory.

CBS’ coverage of the Jets/Chargers game averaged a solid 11.3 (18-49) rating and 34.1 million viewers at 7, beating out NBC’s red carpet coverage of the Golden Globes, which pulled just a 2.4 (18-49) rating and 9.4 million viewers. America’s Funniest Home Videos was fourth wtih a 1.7 (18-49) rating, beating out a rerun of last seasons 24 finale, which drew just 3.7 million viewers and a 1.2 (18-49) rating.

NBC’s Golden Globes coverage then kicked in, dominating the rest of the night for the peacock, averaging a 4.7 (18-49) rating and just under 14 million viewers.

FOX had the series premiere of Human Target last night, pulling a 2.9 (18-49) rating and 10.1 million viewers – a solid start (and it grew over the hour). 24 then returned with a two-hour season premiere, pulling a 3.9 (18-49) rating and 11.4 million viewers – down over 10% from last seasons opener.

ABC went with reruns and then a brand new Desperate Housewives, which fell to just a 3.7 (18-49) rating and 11.2 million viewers – a season low. Brothers and Sisters was also well down, posting a 2.7 rating and 8.1 million viewers.

CBS went with 60 minutes at 8 (which had the NFL lead-in), posting a very solid 4.5 (18-49) rating and 16.5 million viewers. At 9, Cold Case was up vs. its season average, posting a 2.5 (18-49) rating and 10.7 million viewers.

Full Breakdown

7:00 – CBS - NY Jets v. San Diego – 11.3 (18-49) rating - 34.1 million viewers
NBC – 2010 Golden Globe Red Carpet – 2.4 - 9.4 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos – 1.7 - 7.3 million
FOX – 24 (R) – 1.2 - 3.7 million 

8:00 - NBC – 67th Golden Globe Awards (8-11pm) – 4.7 (18-49) rating – 14 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes - 4.5 – 16.5 million
FOX – Human Target (premiere) – 2.9 - 10.1 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (repeat) – 1.8 – 6.4 million

9:00 – FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 (18-49) rating - 11.5 million viewers
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 3.7 - 11.2 million
CBS – Cold Case - 2.5 - 10.7 million

10:00 - FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 - 11.3 million
ABC – Brothers & Sisters – 2.7 – 8.1 million
CBS – NCIS (repeat) – 2.1 - 9.5 million

As usual, Sunday Night Football got the victory for NBC last night, but ABC was also strong with Brothers and Sisters posting season highs.

Football Night In America opened for NBC between 7-8.30pm, posting a 4.0 rating and 8.5 million viewers. The Vikings/ Cardinals game took top honors in the rest of primetime, averaging a 6.5 rating and just under 18 million viewers.

An NFL overrun at 7 helped FOX to second last night when combined with The OT, the BCS selection show and reruns of The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad.

ABC was third for the night with America’s Funniest Home Videos (2.0), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (3.0), a strong Desperate Housewives (4.9) and a season best Brothers and Sisters (3.7), which was up nearly 30% vs. last week.

CBS was last but had a strong showing from The Amazing Race finale (3.7 rating, 12.3 million). At 7, 60 minutes was third for the eye and Cold Case was up to a 2.3 rating – obviously benefitting from the different timeslot. An NCIS: Los Angeles rerun was last at 10pm with a 1.6 rating and 7.3 million viewers.

Full Breakdown:

7:00 – FOX – NFL Football Overrun - 7.8  (18-49 rating) - 20.9 million viewers
NBC – Football Night In America – 2.8 –  7.8 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos (repeat) - 2.0 – 8.2 million
CBS – 60 Minutes - 2.1 – 11.8 million

7:30 – FOX – The OT – 4.5 - 11.1 million

8:00 – NBC - Football Night In America (8.30-11) - 6.5 (18-49 rating) – 17.8 million viewers
CBS – The Amazing Race (finale) - 3.7 – 12.3 million
FOX – BCS Selection Show – 3.4 - 8.6 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - 3.0 - 10.3 million

8:30 – NBC Sunday Night Football - 6.8 (18-49 rating) – 18.892 million viewers
FOX - The Simpsons (repeat) - 2.6 - 5.6 million

9:00 – ABC – Desperate Housewives – 4.8 (18-49 rating) – 14.7 million viewers
FOX – Family Guy (repeat) – 3.0 - 6.1 million
CBS – Cold Case – 2.3 - 9.7 million

9:30 – FOX – American Dad (repeat) – 2.1 - 4.4 million viewers

10:00 – ABC – Brothers & Sisters (18-49 rating) - 3.7- 10.8 million viewers
CBS – NCIS: LA (repeat) – 1.6 - 7.3 million

FOX’s Animation Domination rebounded from last week to come second to Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Between 7-11, NBC’s NFL coverage of the Steelers/Ravens game averaged a 5.4 rating and 14 million viewers to win the night.

At 7, an NFL overrun/ The OT helped FOX to victory with a 4.9 rating and 12.8 million viewers. The Simpsons rebounded from last weeks season low to post a 4.2 rating, The Cleveland Show posted a 3.5, Family Guy was up nearly 25% with a 4.4 rating and American Dad was up with a 3.3 rating.

CBS went with 60 Minutes at 7, which averaged a 2.6 rating and 14.3 million viewers, third for the hour. The Amazing Race was roughly level with last week with a 3.4 rating, good enough for third at 8. The eye aired A Dog Named Christmas between 9-11 and it outrated Cold Case and the now defunct Three Rivers with a 2.1 rating.

ABC was last a 7 with America’s Funniest Home Videos (2.1 rating, 8.3 million viewers, last at 8 with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (3.0 rating, 10.4 million viewers), Second at 9 with Desperate Housewives (4.4 rating, 12.7 million viewers) and second at 10 with Brothers and Sisters (3.0 rating, 8.8 million viewers).

Full Ratings Breakdown:

7:00 – FOX - NFL Football - 6.2 A18-49 rating – 16.7 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes – 2.3 - 12.8 million
NBC – Football Night In America - 2.2 – 6.5 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos - 1.8 – 7.5 million

7:30 - FOX – The OT – 3.6 A18-49 rating – 9 million viewers
NBC – Football Night In America – 3.1 – 8.2 million
CBS – 60 Minutes – 2.9 - 15.8 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos - 2.4 - 9.2 million

8:00 – NBC Football Night In America – 4.9 A18-49 rating - 13.7 million viewers
FOX – The Simpsons – 4.2 - 9 million
CBS – The Amazing Race – 3.4 - 12 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – 2.8 – 9.8 million

8:30 – NBC – Sunday Night Football: Pittsburg v. Baltimore – 6.9 A18-49 rating - 18.6 million viewers
FOX – The Cleveland Show – 3.5 - 7.2 million
CBS – The Amazing Race - 3.4 – 11.3 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – 3.2 – 10.9 million

9:00 - NBC – Sunday Night Football: Pittsburg v. Baltimore – 6.6 A18-49 rating – 17.1 million viewers
FOX – Family Guy – 4.4 - 8.5 million
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 4.3 – 12.7 million
CBS – A Dog Named Christmas (special) - 2.0 – 11.7 million

9:30 – NBC Sunday Night Football: Pittsburg v. Baltimore – 6.4 A18-49 rating - 16.1 million viewers
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 4.4 – 12.6 million
FOX – American Dad – 3.3 - 6.4 million
CBS – A Dog Named Christmas (special) - 2.0 - 12.2 million

10:00 – NBC Sunday Night Football: Pittsburg v. Baltimore - 6.7 A18-49 rating – 16.1 million viewers
ABC – Brothers & Sisters - 3.2 – 9.2 million
CBS – A Dog Named Christmas (special) - 2.2 - 12.6 million

10:30 – NBC Sunday Night Football: Pittsburg v. Baltimore – 6.6 A18-49 rating – 15.8 million viewers
ABC – Brothers & Sisters – 2.8 – 8.5 million
CBS – A Dog Named Christmas (special) - 2.2 - 12.6 million

Last night saw the Colts beat the Patriots with a last gasp attack and it was NBC which reaped the benefits.

At 7pm, a football overrun helped FOX win the hour with The OT from 7.30-8. Football Night in America was second for NBC, pulling in a 2.7  rating and 7.3 million viewers.

As usual, Sunday Night Football won the night for NBC, averaging a 7.5 rating and just under 19 million viewers. In other news, Three Rivers and Cold Case were up a couple of ticks vs. last week, The Simpsons got a nice post- NFL bump and Brothers and Sisters were up 9% from last weeks series low (2.9 vs. 3.2).

7pm -
FOX – Football Overrun/ The OT - 6.6 rating (A18-49) – 17.5 million viewers. 
NBC – Football Night in America – 2.7 rating (A18-49) – 7.3 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes – 2.2 rating (A18-49) – 12.2 million viewers
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos - 2.2 rating – 8.5 million viewers

8pm -
NBC – Football Night in America/ SNF – 6.7 rating (A18-49) – 16.25 million
FOX – Simpsons/ Cleveland Show – 3.8 rating (A18-49) – 8 million viewers
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – 3.6 rating (A18-49) – 11.58 million
CBS – The Amazing Race – 3.2 rating (A18-49) – 11.64 million viewers.

9pm -
NBC – Sunday Night Football – 7.7 rating (A18-49) -  20.9 million viewers.
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 4.9 rating (A18-49) – 14.4 million viewers. 
FOX - Family Guy/ American Dad – 3.5 rating (A18-49) – 7.1 million viewers
CBS – Three Rivers – 2.0 rating (A18-49) – 8.5 million viewers

10pm -
NBC – Sunday Night Football – 7.0 rating (A18-49) – 17.5 million viewers.
ABC – Brothers and Sisters – 3.2 rating (A18-49) – 10.2 million viewers.
CBS – Cold Case - 2.1 rating (A18-49) – 9.2 million viewers.

A 20 minute NFL overrun on CBS messed with the hourly numbers, but we still know that NBC and Sunday Night Football won the night in the key demographics.

At 7 pm, The 20 minute NFL overrun/60 Minutes won the hour for CBS drawing 15.6 million viewers and a 5.0 rating. Second was NBC’s Football Night In America with a 3.3 rating and 9 million viewers. A combination of Brothers (2.3) and an American Dad (2.1) rerun took third for FOX. ABC’s coverage of the NASCAR: Dickies 500 race and a half hour America’s Funniest Home Videos drew 6.5 million viewers and a 1.9 rating.

At 8, Football Night in America/ Sunday Night Football took the lead for NBC, with 18.2 million viewers and a 6.2 rating.  A Family Guy rerun replaced The Simpsons this week and combined with Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show drew a 3.6 rating and 7 million viewers. The end of 60 Minutes and beginning of The Amazing Race brought in 13 million viewers and a 3.5 rating – good enough for 3rd. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition took last place for ABC with a 3.0 rating and just under 10.5 million viewers.

At 9, Sunday Night Football continued to grow, bringing in 20.8 million viewers and a 7.5 rating – the highest of the night. Desperate Housewives took over the #2 spot for ABC with a 4.3 rating and 13.2 million viewers, down slightly vs. last week. A new Family Guy/ Cleveland Show combo took 3rd for FOX with a 3.6 rating and 7 million viewers, also down vs. last week. The end of The Amazing Race and Beginning of Three Rivers placed CBS in last for the hour, with a 2.2 rating and 8.6 million viewers.

The end of the Cowboys/Eagles game on NBC brought in a 7.4 rating and 18.4 million viewers, rounding off a good night for the peacock. Brothers and Sisters fell to season lows with a 2.9 rating and 9 million viewers for the alphabet. The end of Three Rivers/beginning of Cold Case brought in 8.2 million viewer and a 1.8 rating to end the night for CBS.

A NFL overrun on FOX combined with the ALCS Game won the night, beating out NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the top spot- a seasons first.

The NFL overrun on FOX lasted until the start of the Angels-Yankees game averaging 21 million viewers and a 7.8 rating from 7-8pm. The AlCS game averaged a 5.2 rating and 15.5 million viewers for the rest of FOX’s night, giving them a 5.5 18-49 average and 15.8 million viewers, the best of the night.

NBC’s Football Night in America (2.0 rating, 5.5 million viewers) and Sunday Night Football (13 million, 5.0 rating) between the hours of 8-11pm (incuding 1/2 hour of Football Night in America) was good enough for second spot.

ABC ran with America’s Funniest Home Videos at 7, pulling a 2.3 rating and 8.4 million viewers, up slightly from last week. At 8, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition drew a 3.0 rating and 10.6 million viewers, also slightly up from last week. At 9, Desperate Housewives drew 13.6 million viewers and a 4.6 rating – roughly level with last week. At 10, Brothers and Sisters brought in around 10 million viewers and a 3.3 rating which was also up vs. last week.

CBS’ lineup was actually not affected by a NFL overrun this week (thank God!). 60 minutes at 7pm pulled a 2.1 rating and 12.1 million viewers which cannot be compared to last week because of the NFL overrun. At 8, The Amazing Race was level with last week, pulling a 3.2 and 10.9 million viewers, also level with last week. At 9, Three Rivers averaged a 1.7 which is equally as bad as last week but did gain a couple of points in the viewers (7.9 million). Cold Case seems to be heavily affected by its lead in, pulling just a 1.7 and 8.8 million viewers to round out the night for CBS.

Sunday saw NBC win a night with Sunday Night Football coverage of the Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons. Due to an NFL 75 minute overrun CBS was also strong.

A football overrun on CBS helped them win the 7pm time period, brining in a 6.5 A18-49 rating and 20.8 million viewers. NBC also had NFL coverage with Football Night in America pulling a 2.2 rating and 6 million viewers. Over on ABC, An hour of America’s Funniest Home Video’s brought in a 2.0 A18-49 rating and 7.8 million viewers. Fox went with their usual lineup of reruns of Brothers (1.7) and The Simpsons (2.1).

At 8, A 15 minute overrun and 60 minutes pulled a 4.3 rating and 16.3 million viewers. Football Night in America and The first half hour of the Bears/Falcons game brought in around 12.75 million viewers and a 4.8 rating for NBC. On Fox, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode and a new ‘Cleveland Show’ saw 8.1 million viewers and a 4.0 A18-49 rating. On ABC, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition pulled a 3.0 rating and 10.3 million viewers.

Sunday Night Football kept its lead for NBC at 9, with a 6.1 A18-49 rating and 16 million viewers. Desperate Housewives was up vs. last week bringing in a 4.6 rating and 13.5 million viewers. On Fox, a Family Guy repeat and new American Dad brought in a 3.7 rating and 7.2 million viewers. The 60 minutes overrun and The Amazing Race brought in 10.7 million viewers and a 2.9 A18-49 rating.

At 10, the NFL coverage continued to be rampant pulling a 6.3 rating and 15.4 million viewers. Brothers and Sisters was up vs last week with 9.7 million viewers and a 3.2 A18-49 rating. The Amazing Race overrun and Three Rivers pulled a 2.0 rating, although Three Rivers was down to a 1.7 in the second half hour, which means that the 15 minute Amazing Race overrun probably contributed heavily to the 2.4 Three Rivers pulled from 10-10.30

In a night that saw the Indianapolis Colts handily beat the Tennessee Titans, it was NBC who won, taking tops in Viewers (13.5million) and in A18-49 (5.5/13).

CBS started the night with a 43 minute football overrun which meant that the 7pm hour was 45 minutes of NFL and 15 minutes of 60 minutes (I know that sounds confusing!) bringing in 20.7 million viewers and a 6.6 A18-49 Rating. At 8pm, 45 minutes of 60 minutes and 15 minutes of the Amazing Race averaged 13.05 million viewers and an A18-49 rating of 3.4. At 9pm, 45 minutes of The Amazing Race and 15 minutes of Three Rivers averaged 9million viewers and a 2.6 A18-49 rating. Notably though, the half hour with Three Rivers in it only averaged a 2.1 A-18-49 rating. At 10, Three Rivers averaged 7.42 million viewers and a 1.7 A18-49 rating which i think is a true reflection of its ratings for the whole hour. Cold Case’s numbers were roughly the same (7.23, 1.7/5).

ABC started the night showing the final half hour of NASCAR (8.91, 2.5/8) and a half hour version of America’s Funniest Home Video’s (7.4m, 2.2/6 A18-49). At 8, they went with Extreme Makeover: HE which averaged 9.79 million viewers and a 3.0 A18-49 rating. At 9, Desperate Housewives averaged 13.05 million viewers and a 4.4 adults 18-49 rating, down 25% year to year. Brothers and Sisters was the final show of the night, pulling in 8.98 million viewers and a 2.9 A18-49 rating.   

Fox’s animation Sunday started with some non animation comedy in the form of a ‘Brothers’ repeat and ‘The Cleveland Show’ repeat bringing in an average of 3.2 million viewers and a 1.4 A18-49 rating. The usual 8pm animation block continued with The Simpsons ( 7.55 million; A18-49: 3.6/10) and The Cleveland Show (7.78 million, 3.8/10 A18-49). At 9, Family Guy brought in 8.88 million viewers and a 4.5/11 A18-49 rating/share. American Dad was pretty level with last week pulling around 6.6 million viewers and a 3.4 A18-49 rating.