NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Wife Swap." Desperate measures for desperate times -- the long-struggling ABC network took a gamble this season with risky, edgy shows, and it's paying off.

CNNfn's Susan Lisovicz takes a closer look at a few hit shows giving ABC a surprise lead in the new TV season. Play video (Real or Windows Media)

At the same time, reigning ratings champ NBC looks ready to hand over its crown.

"Housewives" has carried ABC to a commanding victory on Sundays -- with assistance from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Boston Legal." On Oct. 10, the network won its third consecutive Sunday night in total viewers, and in the key demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds -- a first time for ABC in 13 years.

So far this season, "Housewives" is the No.1 new program, followed by CBS's "CSI:NY" and ABC's "Lost," according to Nielsen.

"ABC has put itself on the map again with those new shows," said Brad Adgate, media analyst at Horizon Media.

NBC, meanwhile, is struggling with the loss of "Friends" and "Frazier."

"NBC's supremacy in ratings is at risk," said Shari Anne Brill, programming analyst with the ad-buying firm Carat USA.

NBC's new show "Hawaii" is behind "Lost" in the ratings battle. And its cartoon sitcom "Father of the Pride" hasn't done well filling the shoes of "Frasier."

There are some bright spots, however, according to Nielsen Media Research: The second season of "The Apprentice" regained its footing after a lukewarm season debut; the venerable "ER" landed among the top 10 in all of the first three weeks of the new season and "Medical Investigation" is dominating Friday nights.

In the absence of HBO's "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos," ABC knew there was an opening for a new, edgier show on Sunday nights, said Brill.

"Desperate Housewives" leads ABC to a commanding nightly victory on Sundays. The dark comedy about 5 suburban housewives was also the most-watched new program this season, according to Nielsen Media Research.

HBO has long dominated Sundays with hit shows "Sex," "Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," a dark comedy about a family-run funeral home.

"Housewives" has been described by many critics and viewers as the suburban version of "Sex and the City," with a twist in the first episode like that in "Six Feet Under."

"I think 'Desperate Housewives' whetted the appetite for 'Sex and the City' refugees," Brill said.

ABC said it thought about the void that the female audience may experience after "Sex," but it's not why they scheduled "Housewives" on Sunday.

The time spot was previously occupied by ABC's suspense spy thriller "Alias," but the network postponed the show's debut to midseason to spare "Alias" fans any repeats through May. "Housewives" was supposed to be a temporary guest on Sunday nights.

"Lost," created by J.J. Abrams, the mastermind behind "Alias," has also found a spot in the top 10 for the first 3 weeks of the new season.

ABC now says it is rethinking its original plan. "Our high-class problem, as they say, is to set the best midseason schedule considering the benefits of both 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Alias,' " said Jeff Bader, executive vice president of ABC Entertainment. The network has not yet decided whether to move "Housewives" or place "Alias" on a different night, Bader said.

ABC should keep "Housewives" on Sundays, said Adgate. "If it ain't broke, why fix it."

Some credit the newfound success to former ABC executives Lloyd Braun and Susan Lyne, who were fired earlier this year, because they had not found enough quality shows to turn the troubled network around.

Braun and Lyne helped develop and create "Housewives" and "Lost," but ABC's schedule was mapped by the current management.

NBC, a unit of the General Electric Co. (Research), says that its best is yet to come, with a beefed-up lineup of reality shows.

"The Contender," a boxing-themed, unscripted series created by actor Sylvester Stallone and reality show guru Mark Burrnet, will premier in January.

NBC's "Joey" is the spin-off from the long-running "Friends" sitcom.

"The Law Firm," a legal reality drama created by David E. Kelley, the mastermind behind "Boston Legal," will also debut later in the season and features high-profile defense lawyer Roy Black.

NBC also hopes viewers begin craving a diet reality program called "The Biggest Loser." The weight-loss competition will air on Tuesdays, starting next week.

"We are only three weeks into the new season. It's hard to project the winners and losers yet," said Tom Bierbaum, vice president of ratings and programming at NBC Entertainment.

CBS, which is owned by Viacom (Research), said it's glad to see that its programs on Thursday have imposed a greater threat to NBC's "Must-See TV" lineup after its new season of "Survivor" and "CSI" scored a strong start, beating "Joey," "Will & Grace" and "The Apprentice."

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"CSI" has been the most-watched program in the first three weeks of the season, according to Nielsen.

"NBC is the defending champ," said Kahl. "They have always been very competitive, but they were certainly more competitive in the past."

By the end of the season, NBC may still have a chance to regain its crown in the 18-to-49 demographic, said Adgate.

"That's the network with the most depth. They have more shows in the top 30 than any other network," he said. "They may be losing the fight in the top 10, but they still have the shows that draw the core audience." And that, he said, may be NBC's key to remaining No.1.