NCIS Is a W-I-N-N-E-R!

Like the slow but steady tortoise that ultimately wins the race, CBS's reliable show, NCIS, hit it out of the park this week, with a record-breaking almost 19 million viewers tuning in to see the exploits of everyone's favorite NCIS officers. The Mark Harmon-starring drama must be doing something right, because it's not often that shows get more popular only six seasons in.

In the entire six year run of the CBS show, airing on Tuesday nights, there has never been such a large audience. It didn't hurt, either, that CBS's new hit, The Mentalist, comes on right after NCIS at 9 p.m. The combination of NCIS and The Mentalist equaled a big win for network CBS, which was the big ratings winner on Tuesday night, towering over all of the other networks. CBS came in with a Nielsen rating of 9.8, delivering a successful sucker-punch of ownership against its rivals ABC, NBC and FOX.