Thanks to an additional hour of American Idol, Fox posted a 7.2 rating/20 share in the 18-49 demo, to win Thursday again, according to Nielsen overnight ratings.
For CBS, which had a 3.0/8 overall, The Big Bang Theory was up 3% to a 3.8 and Rules of Engagement put up a 2.8 in its time slot premiere. CSI had a 2.7, a series low, while The Mentalist followed up with a 2.8.
Coming in third was ABC, which posted a 2.6/7 overall for the demo. Wipeout improved 18% to put up a 2.2. Private Practice, at a 2.4, and Grey's Anatomy, at 3.3, both fell, the latter to a series low.
NBC, which had a 2.1/6 overall, stayed mostly flat. Community (1.8), Perfect Couples (1.4), The Office (3.3) and Outsourced (1.5) all remained the same from last week. 30 Rock was up 15% to a 2.3, and Parks and Recreation put up a 2.4, up 9%.
Rounding out the evening was The CW, which had a 1.0/3 overall. The Vampire Diaries, at a 1.3, and Nikita, at a 0.8, were down slightly in the demo.
