The second night of American
Idol's tenth season was expectedly down from its premiere Wednesday, but
still helped Fox top the night in its new Thursday slot. According to Nielsen
overnight numbers, the hour-long Idol
averaged a little over 22.6 million viewers, down 13% from the 26.1 million who
watched Wednesday's 90-minute debut.
It should be noted, however, that the comparison is somewhat
apples and oranges, due to both the new night and different episode lengths.
Last night's episode drew a 7.7 rating with adults 18-49,
down 21% from Wednesday. Compared to last year's second night, which aired on a
Wednesday, Idol was down 24% (from a 10.1)
with adults 18-49 and 14% with total viewers, vs. last year's 26.4
million.
Despite the decline from both its premiere night and last
year, Idol continued to gain viewers
as the night went on and pushed Fox to an easy nightly win, posting an overall
5.7 rating/15 share with adults 18-49.
Bones enjoyed a
healthy boost from its Idol lead-in,
posting a 3.6 with adults 18-49.
CBS came in second with a 3.1/8. The Big Bang Theory held up well against its competition from Idol, down just 5% to a 4.2 rating with
adults 18-49. $#*!My Dad Says slipped 7% to a 2.7, while CSI fell 6% to a 3.1 and The Mentalist dropped 10% to a 2.8.
NBC followed, with its "Comedy Night Done Right" averaging a
2.8/7 with the key adults demo. Community
tied its second-best rating of the season with a 2.2, up 16% from its last new
episode. Perfect Couples bowed to a
2.1, a marked increase from the 1.3 earned by its December preview. The Office hit a season-high 4.5 rating,
up 22%. The new season of Parks &
Recreation bowed to a series-high 3.2 rating, while 30 Rock jumped 29% to a 2.7. Only Outsourced bucked the night's upward ratings trend, falling 28% to
a series low 1.8.
ABC placed fourth for the night with a 1.7/5. Up against Idol and NBC's 8 p.m. comedies, it's no surprise
that Wipeout fell 30% from last week
to a 2.6 rating. That number is still laudable, however, for a reality series,
given its competition.
The CW picked up the rear with repeats of The Vampire Diaries and Nikita, posting an overall 0.5/1.
