She plays a supporting role on a CBS procedural, but it's an indispensable one, according to a survey finding that the most popular star in primetime is NCIS’ Pauley Perrette.

According to the latest Q Ratings, a survey taken a few times a year to judge who are the most popular stars, based on audience awareness, Perrette takes the top spot for her portrayal of eccentric, over-caffeinated, lovable forensic wiz Abby Scuito.

To fans of TV's #1 drama, this won't come as a surprise.

Q ratings are analyzed by networks when as they attempt to gauge whether an actor is worth the time (and money) to keep on the payroll. Essentially, based on these and the Nielsen numbers, expect NCIS Season 9 to be about the midway point for the series.

Other actors scoring highly in the most recent findings were Nathan Fillion of Castle, Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory and NCIS' lead himself, Mark Harmon.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.