“Human Target” again proved Wednesday that a lead-in from a flagship powerhouse like “American Idol” is not necessarily ideal for building an audience.
The lead-in support from Wednesday’s “Idol” was enormous, but “Human Target” could barely improve on its unsupported number from the special Monday night airing. The hourlong “Idol” held reasonably steady from last week’s performance, scoring an 8.9 adults 18-49 rating with 24.93 million, but “Target” could only muster a 2.6 with 9.34 million viewers.
Worse, the second half-hour of “Target” was only good for a 2.3 rating, building less than ten percent from the second half hour of Monday’s episode. That means that for all the extra eyeballs on the table, by episode’s end, “Human Target” had barely attracted any new viewers in the coveted 18-49 demo.
FOX should still be in celebratory mode over the “Idol” performance. “Idol” has consistently been weaker in the 8PM-9PM hour, so the fact that it nearly matched the ratings for last Wednesday’s two-hour installment is an accomplishment.
The rating for Thursday’s episode will likely look weak by comparison–for whatever reason, “Idol” just does not click as well on Thursday nights. But based on the Wednesday performance, the popularity is certainly not declining at a rate that warrants concern.
I love human target, it is by far the best action series on tv.