The series ended its third season with an average of 19.22 million viewers per episode and a 6.8/35 &lt;a href="Nielsen%20ratings%23rating%20and%20total%20viewers"&gt;Nielsen rating/share&lt;/a&gt; in the 18–49 demographic, ranking #8 in the television season, outperformed by "CSI". Television critics expressed a mainly negative outlook on the development of the series throughout the season, with the reviews ranging from mixed-to-negative, as exaggeration and lack of realism have been highlighted as the main issues in the declining quality of the storylines. Despite the negative critical response, the performance of the cast members and the production technique of the crew received outstanding recognition through numerous awards and nominations. Earning major category nominations at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards and the 65th Golden Globe Awards, the season achieved the series' highest number of recipients, with Heigl being the most-awarded cast member. The series was ranked #6 in "USA Today" "best of television" list, following the conclusion of the season.