All hail the hobbits. "Return of the King" and "Lost in Translation" were the big winners at Sunday night's Golden Globes and helped turn NBC into the night's big ratings winner.
Overall, NBC averaged a 14.8 rating/22 share, beating the night's regular winner CBS, which had an 8.5/13. FOX was a distant third with a 4.4/7, with ABC close behind in fourth at 4.3/6. The WB trailed with a 2.3/3.
Among adults 18-49, NBC held onto its large margin of victory with an 8.5 rating in the coveted demographic. CBS was well back in second with a 3.5 rating, with FOX's 3.4 good enough for a tight third. ABC had a 2.4, better than the 1.6 rating for The WB.
CBS began the night in the lead, actually, as "60 Minutes" earned a 10.3/16, to better the 8.4/13 for the Golden Globes arrivals on NBC. ABC took third with the 5.5/9 for "America's Funniest Home Videos," outdoing the numbers for two episodes of "King of the Hill" on FOX. The WB was fifth with the 2.0/3 for "Smallville."
At 8 p.m., NBC zipped into first with the 16.0/23 for the first hour of the Globes. CBS dropped to second with the still-solid 9.7/14 for "Cold Case." FOX finished third with "The Simpsons" (5.9/9) and "The Bernie Mac Show" (4.6/7), taking out ABC's "10-8" and The WB's "Charmed."
NBC's Golden Globe coverage reached its peak at 9 p.m. with a 17.6/26 for the hour. CBS was second with the first hour of the film "Deep Impact." FOX was in third with "Malcolm in the Middle" (5.0/7) and "Arrested Development" (3.8/6), which topped "Alias" on ABC. On The WB, "The Surreal Life" had a 2.2/3 for the evening.
The Globes concluded in the 10 p.m. hour with a 17.0/27, with CBS' "Deep Impact" in second with a 6.8/11. ABC was third with "The Practice."