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When it comes to the viewing habits of Canadians and Americans, it’s not the same old song and dance ( )

We Canadians are not the same as they Americans.

There are similarities, sure, but differences, too, as a side-by-side comparison of the Top 20 TV programs --in terms of average viewers per episode -- over the past season shows.

Now that the final, official figures are available from both countries, it's fun to play check-and-compare.

In the U.S., the top 5 shows (in descending order) were American Idol (performance show), American Idol (results show), Dancing with the Stars, NBC Sunday Night Football and NCIS. In Canada, the top shows were Survivor (both Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains), Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and American Idol (performance show), American Idol (results show).

Personally, I'm comfortable to see Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (us) and American Idol (them) get their due. Reality TV often dredges the very bottom of the barrel, but when it's good it can make for exciting, compelling TV, no matter what the naysayers say.

Crystal Bowersox, a Type 1 diabetic who had to beg for insulin and was picked on in school because she came from a poor background, single-handedly raised Idol to must-see status most weeks. If Idol is about giving a total unknown that elusive break, this season did just that, despite a growing feeling that the show is growing past its prime.

And who, watching Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, could forget the sight of Russell Hantz dragging his swag belly and flapping gums across the sands of Samoa, while he lied, cheated and stole his way to -- second place! (Or make that third, if you want to get picky about it.) Good TV is often about good vs. evil, but there was no villain on TV -- not in any crime show, or in any legal drama -- who could match Hantz for sheer, outrageous villainy.

As for why Survivor consistently outpaces the competition in Canada -- unlike in the U.S., where you can see from the list below, it finished a distant 14th overall -- my theory is that it has to do with climate. In the long, dark Canadian winter, we'd much rather ogle the bikini-clad himbos and bimbos do their thing in a tropical paradise somewhere than watch C-list and D-list celebrities do their Clydesdale act in Dancing with the Stars.

-- Canwest News Service

What we're watching

2009-10 series ranking in U.S. --

total average viewers per episode

1. American Idol, Tues. (Fox) -- 24,714,000

2. American Idol, Weds. (Fox) -- 23,461,000

3. Dancing With the Stars (ABC) -- 19,725,000

4. NBC Sunday Night Football (NBC) -- 18,782,000

5. NCIS (CBS) -- 18,699,000

6. Undercover Boss (CBS) -- 17,732,000

7. The Mentalist (CBS) -- 16,828,000

8. CSI (CBS) -- 15,820,000

9. NCIS: L.A. (CBS) -- 15,667,000

10. Dancing With the Stars, Tues. (ABC) -- 15,298,000

11. Two and a Half Men (CBS) -- 14,625,000

12. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) -- 14,224,000

13. Desperate Housewives (ABC) -- 14,058,000

14. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS) 13,669,000

15. Criminal Minds (CBS) -- 13,575,000

16. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) -- 13,552,000

17. Survivor: Samoa (CBS) -- 13,450,000

18. 60 Minutes (CBS) -- 13,269,000

19. The Good Wife (CBS) -- 12,771,000

20. CSI: Miami (CBS) -- 12,617,000

2009-10 series ranking in Canada --

total average viewers per episode

1. Survivor: Samoa & Heroes Vs. Villains (Global) -- 2,929,000

2. Grey's Anatomy (CTV) -- 2,899,000

3. Criminal Minds (CTV) -- 2,807,000

4. American Idol, Tues. (CTV) -- 2,789,000

5. American Idol, Weds. (CTV) -- 2,686,000

6. The Amazing Race 15 & 16 (CTV) -- 2,529,000

7. House (Global) -- 2,493,000

8. CSI: New York (CTV) -- 2,349,000

9. The Mentalist (CTV) -- 2,279,000

10. NCIS (Global) -- 2,201,000

11. Dancing With the Stars, Mon. (CTV) -- 2,172,000

12. The Big Bang Theory (CTV) -- 2,169,000

13. CSI: Miami (CTV) -- 2,125,000

14. Dancing With the Stars, Tues. (CTV) -- 2,092,000

15. CSI (CTV) -- 2,084,000

16. Two and a Half Men (CTV) -- 2,032,000

17. Desperate Housewives (CTV) -- 1,933,000

18. Lie to Me (Global) -- 1,811,000

19. Hockey Night in Canada (CBC) -- 1,798,000

20. NCIS: Los Angeles (Global) -- 1,768,000

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 5, 2010 F1