After debuting to a dominant performance Tuesday, “American Idol” dipped for its 90-minute showing on Wednesday.
The second “Idol” episode of the season was down to 26.3 million viewers with a 10.1; it led into a “Simpsons” repeat that drew 8.1 million viewers and a 3.6.
More significant than the “Idol” drop, however, was its impact on the competition. ABC’s 9PM standout “Modern Family” tanked from last week’s series high, dropping 22% in the 18-49 demographic (7.9 million viewers, 3.2). “Criminal Minds,” which averaged 14 million viewers and a 3.9 for the hour, also served to hurt “Family” (“Minds” posted 12.7 million viewers and a 3.5 from 9-9:30, indicating it shares some viewers with “Idol”).
ABC’s “The Middle,” which faced competition, albeit weakly-rated competition, from “Gary Unmarried” (5.8 million, 1.9) in addition to “Idol,” dropped significantly to 6.1 million viewers and a 2.1.
ABC’s 9:30Pm series “Cougar Town” (7.4 million, 3.1) and 10PM series “Ugly Betty” (4.7 million, 1.7) were fairly steady in their demos.
Other ratings: CBS had “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (6.3 million, 1.9) and “CSI: NY” (14.1 million, 3.6). NBC had weak performances from “Mercy” (5.9 million, 1.5), “Law & Order: SVU” (7.7 million, 2.0) and “The Jay Leno Show” (5.4 million, 1.6).
Ratings Sources: THR, Media Week, Nielsen