TV Ratings: 'Idol,' 'Glee' drop, but FOX still wins Tuesday

'Lost' returns strong and gives 'V' a very small boost

By Daniel Fienberg Wednesday, May 5, 2010 12:32 PM

'American Idol' judge Ellen DeGeneres

Credit: FOX

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

"American Idol" took another big drop on Tuesday night, leading to a slightly smaller drop for "Glee," but that didn't keep FOX from winning the night, albeit by a slim margin overall.

To be fair, overall ratings were down on Tuesday, as even "NCIS" took another tumble. One of the few shows to display improvement was ABC's "V," which improved on last week's dismal performance thanks in no small part to the return of "Lost" after a one week hiatus.

Among adults 18-49, FOX won the night with a 5.5 rating. NBC was a distant second with a 3.0 rating, followed by the 2.8 rating for both ABC and CBS. The CW's 0.5 rating trailed.

Overall, CBS averaged an 8.9 rating/14 share, beating the 8.4/13 for FOX, but FOX averaged an estimated 14.49 million viewers in primetime, compared to the 14 million viewers averaged by CBS. ABC's 5.7/9 and NBC's 4.7/8 followed. Fifth place went to The CW with a 0.9/1.

"American Idol" still dominated the 8 p.m. hour with a 9.8/16 and a 6.0 demo rating, even though the show dropped over 1.7 million viewers and 0.6 demo ratings points from last week. CBS' "NCIS" was second with a 9.4/15, though CBS' procedural juggernaut also lost over a million viewers from last week. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" had a 7.7/12 for third and, remarkably, showed slightly improvement over last week in the 18-49 demo. NBC's "Biggest Loser" was fourth, beating the 1.1/2 for The CW's "90210."

In the 9 p.m. hour, CBS moved into first overall with an 8.9/14 for "NCIS: Los Angeles." FOX's "Glee" had a 7.0/11 and won the hour in the demo with a 4.9 rating, both slightly off from last week. ABC's "Lost" and NBC's "Biggest Loser" were tied for third with a 5.7/9, though ABC had the advantage in viewers and in the key demo. The CW's repeat of "Life Unexpected" was fifth.

CBS dominated the 10 p.m. hour overall with an 8.4/14 for "The Good Wife," but things were far closer in the 18-49 demo. NBC's "Parenthood" actually won the demo with a 2.6 rating and finished a distant second overall with a 3.9/7. ABC's "V" was third overall with a 3.5/6 and third in the demo with a 2.2 rating, though "Lost" helped "V" add nearly 600,00 viewers and 0.3 demo ratings points.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.