Top 50 most-watched programs this summer

Watching Howard Stern on a talent show may not have compared to the sight of the USA men’s swimming team right before they jumped into a London pool. But NBC’s America’s Got Talent still managed to keep the nation away from cable (or the great outdoors) this summer.

Here is the list of the 50 most-watched regular programs on the Big Four networks this summer from May 25 to Aug. 12, the most up-to-date numbers available. (Sorry, CW, we can’t see you ever making the cut!). Naturally, some shows rank a littler higher in certain demographic races than they do in the total viewer race; for instance, originals of Big Brother do much better than repeats of NCIS among adults 18-49 during the dog days. But this list gives a good indication of what shows live up to the true notion of a broadcast network program — i.e. a series that can attract the widest amount of people, even when they’re just in reruns.

It also shows how Ryan Lochte and his fellow swimming studs did a total solid for AGT by providing a nifty lead-in during the month of August.

1. America’s Got Talent, NBC, Mondays (12.61 million)

2. AGT, Tuesdays (12.15 million)

3. AGT, Wednesdays (10.7 million)

4. Bachelorette, ABC (8.3 million)

5. NCIS, CBS (8.2 million)

6. Big Bang Theory, CBS (8.1 million)

7. 60 Minutes, CBS (7.6 million)

8. Harry’s Law, NBC (7.5 million)

9. The Mentalist, CBS (7.18 million)

10. Hell’s Kitchen, Fox, Mondays (7.15 million)

11. Masterchef, Fox, Mondays (6.9 million)

12. Hell’s Kitchen, Tuesdays (6.7 million)

13. Big Brother, CBS, Thursdays (6.69 million)

14. So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, Wednesdays (6.61 million)

15. Person of Interest, CBS (6.55 million)

16. 2 Broke Girls, CBS, Thursdays (6.52 million)

17. NCIS: LA, CBS (6.47 million)

18. 60 Minutes Presents, CBS (6.433 million)

19. Rules of Engagement, CBS (6.432 million)

20. AGT, Tuesdays at 8 (6.2 million)

21. Big Brother, Sundays (6.19 million)

22. Big Brother, Wednesdays (6.10 million)

23. Rookie Blue, ABC (6.09 million)

24. Touch, Fox (6.04 million)

25. Two and a Half Men, Thursdays, CBS (5.9 million)

26. Wipeout, ABC, Thursdays (5.89 million)

27. 48 Hours Mystery, CBS, Tuesdays (5.88 million)

28. Duets, ABC (5.85 million)

29. CSI, CBS (5.80 million)

30. American Ninja Warrior, NBC (5.7 million)

31. Masterchef, Tuesdays (5.6 million)

32. Two and a Half Men, Mondays (5.58 million)

33. Criminal Minds, CBS (5.54 million)

34. Dogs in the City, CBS (5.51 million)

35. Castle, ABC (5.37 million)

36. Dateline, NBC, Fridays (5.36 million)

37. Hawaii Five-0, CBS (5.33 million)

38. Dateline, Sundays (5.31 million)

39. Love in the Wild, NBC (5.1 million)

40. Person of Interest, Tuesdays (5.09 million)

41. Blue Bloods, CBS, (5.08 million)

42. Mike & Molly, CBS (4.99 million)

43. Dateline Classic, NBC, Fridays (4.94 million)

44. CSI: Miami, CBS (4.89 million)

45. 20/20, ABC, Fridays (4.82 million)

46. Secret Millionaire, ABC (4.81 million)

47. 48 Hours Mystery, CBS (4.68 million)

48. AGT, Sundays at 10 (4.61 million)

49. Off Their Rockers, NBC (4.60 million)

50. America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC (4.5 million)