The Question, Wednesday 2/6/13: Is Chicago Still on Fire Against CSI?

One of the season's triumphs in scheduling that nobody's talked about is the way NBC has kept new drama Chicago Fire's originals away from CBS' CSI originals for almost two months. The first seven Chicago Fire episodes (and eight of the first nine) aired against original CSI, but since December 19 the show has aired four times, and CSI twice, without the two ever meeting. During that time, Chicago Fire has blossomed, hitting 2.0+ demos in its last three episodes. But it's still not quite clear how many inroads it's really made. We'll get some insight tonight, as February sweeps finally brings them back together. Is Chicago still on Fire against CSI? That's The Question for Wednesday, February 6, 2013.

CSI vs. Chicago Fire	Episodes Without the Other Original
CSI by 0.7 (2.6 to 1.9, 10/10/12) CSI by 0.8 (2.3 to 1.5, 10/17/12) CSI by 0.6 (2.4 to 1.8, 10/24/12) CSI by 0.8 (2.4 to 1.6, 10/31/12) CSI by 0.1 (2.3 to 2.2, 11/7/12) (Voice) CSI by 0.9 (2.5 to 1.6, 11/14/12) CSI by 1.0 (2.4 to 1.4, 11/21/12) CSI by 0.8 (2.2 to 1.4, 12/12/12) (Take It All)	1.9 (CF, 12/5/12, vs. Grammy Noms) 1.9 (CF, 12/19/12, vs. CSI (R)) 2.4 (CF, 1/2/13, vs. CSI (R)) 2.2 (CF, 1/9/13, vs. People's Choice) 2.1 (CF, 1/30/13, vs. CSI (R)) 2.6 (CSI, 11/28/12, vs. SNL Xmas) 2.3 (CSI, 1/16/13, vs. CF (R)) 2.6 (CSI, 1/23/13, vs. CF (R))

I think Chicago Fire will stack up a little better in the head-to-head than it did for most of the fall, though I'm guessing it'll drop back below 2.0 (if not by much). I will note that CSI has the first part of a crossover with CSI: NY, but I doubt that will move the needle in any noticeable way. If anything, it'd probably matter more for NY on Friday. So tonight will bring a decent shot at the closest spread the two have had this season (excluding CF's post-Voice episode).

Spread: CSI beats Chicago Fire by 0.55 points.

(Reply with "CSI" if you think CSI BEATS Chicago Fire by 0.6 points or more. Reply with "Chicago Fire" if you think CSI BEATS Chicago Fire by 0.5 points or fewer or Chicago Fire TIES or BEATS CSI. The result will be based on finals rounded to one decimal point.)

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