Winners and losers in 2005-06 TV season By RODNEY HO The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The just-concluded 2005-06 TV season saw no earth-shattering changes or breakthrough success stories, unlike last year when the networks struck gold with four buzzworthy hits: Fox's "House" and ABC's "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives." Like the previous year, CBS had the most viewers and Fox led in the coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic. With cable constantly trying to dent the dominance of broadcast TV, overall viewership was essentially flat for the six main English-language networks (soon to be five with the merger of the WB and UPN into the CW). Here's a network-by-network breakdown in order of average total viewers: 1. CBS (12.6 million viewers) The No. 1 network held sway thanks to its crime-heavy schedule. Winners: The "CSI" franchise remains a formidable draw; other Jerry Bruckheimer-produced shows, such as "Cold Case" and "Without a Trace," kept the blood flowing. Military drama "NCIS" was the only successful counter to Fox's "American Idol" and led into the biggest new hit of the season, "The Unit." Despite some slippage, "Survivor" remained a force on Thursdays. And virtually all the network's freshman shows did well, including surprise hit "Ghost Whisperer" on Fridays, followed by "Close to Home." "Criminal Minds" solidified Tuesday nights, too. Sitcoms "How I Met Your Mother" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" survived for another year. Losers: Relationship drama "Love Monkey" failed. And "The Amazing Race" took a hit after the family edition bombed in the fall and scheduling snafus plagued it in the spring. 2. ABC (10.8 million) The network grew by 7 percent in total viewers thanks to five solid shows, but virtually its entire freshman slate failed. Winners: The network dined off five core shows: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Dancing With the Stars." "The Bachelor," run just once this season instead of twice, actually saw growth. Losers: From "Freddie" to "Hot Properties," an effort to launch new sitcoms bombed. But the biggest disappointments were the collapse of "Commander in Chief" and the inability of "Invasion" to retain the "Lost" audience on Wednesday nights. 3. Fox (10.1 million) For the first time in years, the network was able to launch a couple of minor hits in the fall, and "American Idol" became even more popular in the spring. Winners: Besides "Idol," Fox's tension-filled "24" and "Prison Break" provided some heft to the schedule. The drama "Bones" also did OK in its first year, while sophomore medical show "House" morphed into a superstar. Losers: Somehow, "War at Home" survived, and "Arrested Development" didn't. "That '70s Show," "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Bernie Mac" stumbled as they bowed out. "The O.C." lost steam as well. 4. NBC (9.72 million) As its aging hits continued to gray, the network grasped at straws — and Howie Mandel. Winners: "Deal or No Deal," hosted by Mandel, was a surprise hit, which NBC used to fill in its many gaps in the spring. "My Name Is Earl" was a breakout hit on Tuesdays and held its own when it was moved to Thursdays. The second season of the heavily downloaded comedy "The Office" drew younger viewers. Losers: From "E-Ring" to "Four Kings," virtually nothing else worked among the new shows. Older established shows lost steam, including "ER" and "Law & Order." "The Apprentice," briefly a huge phenomenon in 2004, lost so much steam it won't be back until January. 5. The WB (3.12 million) In its final year, the network lost 7 percent of its fans. Winners: "7th Heaven" sustained its kingdom in its 10th season and will be back, as will vets "Gilmore Girls" and "Smallville." "Supernatural" was the one freshman show to work. Losers: From "Pepper Dennis" to "Bedford Diaries" to "Just Legal," the rest of its newcomers were quickly forgotten. 6. UPN (3.11 million) Mirroring the WB, UPN shed 7 percent of its viewers, too. Winners: "Everybody Hates Chris," a critical hit, was a modest ratings breakthrough, while "America's Next Top Model" remained its hottest show. Losers: Does anybody remember "Sex, Lies & Secrets" or "South Beach"? And "Veronica Mars" couldn't buy viewers — though as a critics' favorite, it will be back next year