'Anatomy' grabs spot by 'Housewives'

LOS ANGELES -- The new ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy," which has proved a strong Sunday night partner for "Desperate Housewives," will keep its time slot and cut short the season for "Boston Legal."

"Grey's Anatomy," about first-year surgical interns at a Seattle hospital, debuted March 27 and improved on the ratings in the 9 p.m. Sunday time slot that had belonged to "Boston Legal."

Maximizing that period is key for ABC since the show preceding it at 8 p.m. is "Desperate Housewives," the big freshman hit, and the network wants to keep as many of its viewers as possible tuned in.

"Desperate Housewives" and another newcomer, "Lost," have helped pull the network out of a ratings slump.

Both "Grey's Anatomy" and "Boston Legal," a reworking of the long-running ABC series "The Practice," were winning the time slot among total viewers and with advertiser-favored adults ages 18 to 49.

But "Grey's Anatomy" has averaged 17 million viewers compared with 12.5 million for the legal drama from veteran producer David E. Kelley.