Talk shows were hot in the week ending Oct .18 as PUT levels jumped with cooler weather stretching across much of the country. Courtrooms, magazines and games also heated up.

The top eight veteran yakkers were all up from the week before, with Warner Bros.' Ellen DeGeneres enjoying the biggest improvement, jumping 17% to a 2.1.

CBS Television Distribution's Oprah held onto the lead, inching up 2% to a 5.2; CBS Television Distribution's Dr. Phil grew 4% in households to a 2.8 and 11% among women 18-34; Disney-ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly added 8% to a 2.6; CBS Television Distribution's The Doctors continued to soar, jumping 11% from the week before and 24% from its season premiere four weeks ago to a 2.1, which matched its best week ever. Compared to last year, The Doctors was up 40%, the biggest increase of any syndicated strip.

NBCU's Maury gained 12% to a 1.9; CBS Television Distribution's Rachael Ray rose 6% to a 1.7; and NBCU's Jerry Springer sprang ahead 9% to a 1.2.

Court Shows

CBS Television Distribution's Judge Judy trounced a strong court show group, with a 5% climb to a 4.3, its highest ratings in 28 weeks. CBS Television Distribution's Judge Joe Brown also advanced 5% to a 2.2; Warner Bros.' People's Court gained 6% to a 1.9; and Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis was up 7% to a 1.6.

Freshman shows

NBCU's The Office remained the leader among newcomers and the No. 2 show in all of syndication among women18-34, although it dipped 3% to a 2.8 after being bumped by the baseball playoffs in 16 markets including New York on Oct. 16.

Twentieth's My Name is Earl was up 6% to a 1.8; CBS Television Distribution's Everybody Hates Chris gained 7% to a 1.5; Disney-ABC's America' Funniest Home Videos was up 17% to a 0.7; and Files remained at a 0.3.

Sony's Dr. Oz was flat at a 2.6, but still managed to torch its first-run rivals. Twentieth's Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?was unchanged at a 1.6; Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams sank 14% to a 1.2, affected by baseball preemptions in New York and Los Angeles; while Litton's Street Court was up 17% to a 0.7.

In access, most shows were up smartly from last year when the baseball playoff games caused widespread schedule disruptions.

Magazine Shows

CBS Television Distribution's Entertainment Tonight led the magazines, moving up 2% from the week before to a 4.4, its highest rating in 30 weeks. CBS Television Distribution's Inside Edition added 7% to a 3.2; NBCU's Access Hollywood was up 5% to a 2.1; CBS Television Distribution's The Insider gained 6% to a 1.9, its strongest performance in 25 weeks, and tied Warner Bros.' TMZ, which was flat at a 1.9. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' Extra perked up 13% to a 1.8, its best numbers since March 30.

Game Shows

Games were also higher, with CBS Television Distribution's Wheel of Fortune, its Jeopardy! and Disney-ABC's Who Wants to be a Millionaire each adding 9% to 7.2, 5.9 and 2.5, respectively. NBCU's Deal or No Deal surged 18% to a 1.3, while Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud was flat at a 1.2.

Off-Net

Off-net sitcoms were mixed. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men was reprocessed; Twentieth's Family Guy was flat at a 3.4; Sony's Seinfeld slipped 4% to a 2.5; CBS Television Distribution's Everybody Loves Raymond rose 4% to a 2.4, tying Warner Bros.' George Lopez Show, which leaped 14% to a 2.4.

Weekend

Off-net weekly hours were led by CBS Television Distribution's CSI: NY, which was up 13% to a 3.4. NBCU's Law & Order: Criminal Intent was unchanged at a 2.5; CBS Television Distribution's CSI: Miami gained 5% to a 2.3; NBCU's House was flat at a 2.1; Warner Bros.' Without a Trace jumped 12% to a 1.9; Twentieth's Bones fell 14% to a 1.8, tying Disney-ABC's Grey's Anatomy, which was unchanged at a 1.8, and Warner Bros.' Cold Case, which was up 13% to a 1.8.