The Week the Women Went is inching closer to the one-million mark after scoring 929,000 viewers last week, making it the top-rated new show on CBC this winter.

The reality series — which examines how the men and children in a small town cope when their wives, girlfriends and mothers take off — has grown its audience in the Monday 8 p.m. timeslot from 548,000 for episode three to 929,000 for episode five, which aired opposite the winter finale of Global’s Prison Break (1.3 million) on Feb. 18.

CBC’s The Border has placed around the 700s, followed by Sophie in the 600s. (All numbers 2+.)

‘Both men and women are tuning in because it’s that identifying way of thinking ‘How would I respond in that situation,” says producer Sally Aitken of Vancouver’s Paperny Films (Crash Test Mommy, Kink). ‘For many women right across the country, they are the primary caregivers, so they’re looking at this thinking it’s a dream come true,’ she adds.

The show is based on the BBC series of the same name.

Aitken, who coproduces with Trevor Hodgson (My Fabulous Gay Wedding), is satisfied with the amount of support they’ve received from the pubcaster.

‘Obviously every independent producer would love as much publicity as possible…the CBC has been as supportive as they can be as far as the budgets go,’ Aitken says.

Meanwhile, CTV will sneak-peek two new episodes from Robson Arms‘ upcoming third season this week. The comedy will air new eps on Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. following American Idol. Dave Foley (News Radio) joins the cast as a neighborly yet manipulative new landlord.

In other scheduling news, CTV says it has no plans as of yet to move Lost, which ABC is bumping back to 10 p.m. on Thursdays to make way for Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s returns on April 24 with new episodes. Lost will air out of simulcast on CTV.

Coming up, CBC will roll out the special Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister on Sunday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Hosted by Rick Mercer, the show will put four ambitious young candidates in the hot seat to be grilled by a panel comprised of former PMs Paul Martin, John Turner and Kim Campbell and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams.

The series has aired twice before — first on CTV — before moving to the Ceeb, where it played to 865,000 viewers in early 2007.