It was a week of tremendous ratings growth thanks to the return of "American Idol." Thirty-five million people watched as Simon bashed potential pop stars and the new "Skating with Celebrities" gave "Lost" a run for their money. In fact, the top three shows were all unscripted television. Here are the primetime Nielsen ratings for the week of January 16 - 22, 2006:

1. "American Idol" (Tuesday) 35.5 million
2. Fox NFC Championship 35.2 million
3. "American Idol" (Wednesday) 31.7 million
4. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" 27.1 million
5. "Desperate Housewives" 25.3 million
6. Fox NFC Championship 24.6 million
7. "Without a Trace" 23.1 million
8. "Grey's Anatomy" 21 million
9. "Lost" 19.1 million
10. "Dancing With the Stars" (Thursday) 19 million
11. "Golden Globe Awards" 18.8 million
12. "Skating With Celebrities" 18.7 million
13. "NCIS" 17.7 million
14. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" 16.1 million
15. "Law & Order: SVU" 16.1 million
16. "24" 15.7 million
17. "CSI: NY" 15.5 million
18. "Dancing With the Stars" (Friday) 15.4 million
19. Fox NFC Championship (Post-game) 15.3 million
20. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (Different night/time) 14.8 million
(Photo: © 2006 CBS)