At PBS, a Change in the Lineup

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The NBA and the NHL couldn't hold a candle to Howie Mandel and his briefcase-bearing babes last week.

Here's a look at the week's power plays and penalties:

WINNERS

"The Closer." More than 8 million viewers caught this Monday's second-season debut of TNT's crime drama -- the biggest audience ever for an ad-supported, scripted-series cablecast. The Kyra Sedgwick starrer pounded every broadcast program in its hour, except CBS's "Two and a Half Men."

"Windfall." The debut of NBC's winning-the-lottery-is-hell drama series snagged the largest audience for a summer drama in nearly six years, with just over 9 million tuning in. Now how many of the summer drama launches that "Windfall" beat do you even remember: "The Inside," "Empire," "The Days," "North Shore," "The Jury," "The OC," "Keen Eddie" (sob), "Widows," "She Spies" and "The Beast."

"Deal or No Deal." NBC's network-saving babes-with-briefcases reality series bid adieu to its first season with a record 18.2 million viewers. It was the week's most-watched program.

NBA Finals . Last week's Games 1 and 2, in which the Dallas Mavericks pulled ahead of the Miami Heat, averaged 12 million viewers -- 13 percent better than last year's Spurs-Pistons skirmish.

Tony Awards . Sure, 7.7 million viewers doesn't sound like a lot, but it's the Broadway trophy show's biggest haul since 2003.

"Entourage ." Sunday's season-opener averaged 2.7 million viewers -- up nearly 70 percent over last year's series premiere. But its lead-in, "Deadwood," averaged 2.4 million viewers -- down about 14 percent from its previous season debut in March. Later that night, the unveiling of HBO's first old-fashioned-only-raunchier sitcom, "Lucky Louie," logged 1.5 million viewers, fumbling more than 40 percent of its "Entourage" lead-in. And after that, "Dane Cook's Tourgasm" fell even further, to 1 million viewers.