CBS sent a loud message to FOX and “American Idol” Thursday night.
Since FOX announced “Idol”‘s move to a weekly Wednesday-Thursday format, there has been some speculation about how CBS’ hit comedy “The Big Bang Theory” would be affected. Many CBS insiders and representatives declared the fear was minimal, but most still expected some sort of drop-off.
Though down slightly from its last original airing, “The Big Bang Theory” was right in its ballpark for the season with a strong 4.2 adults 18-49 rating and 13.58 million viewers. Moreover, “Idol” only averaged a 7.0 rating in that slot, suggesting that “Big Bang,” if anything, might have been the one to hurt its competitor series.
“$#*! My Dad Says” followed with a 2.7 and 10.29 million. Though down from its prior episode, which only featured a re-run of “Big Bang” as a lead-in, the show held up well against the “Idol” juggernaut. “American Idol” scored an 8.4 in that timeslot.
Elsewhere on CBS, “CSI” was in its usual territory with a 3.1 and 14.29 million viewers, while “The Mentalist” averaged a 2.8 and 14.66 million.
Following “Idol,” FOX aired “Bones,” which demonstrated soft post-“Idol” retention at a 3.6 and 10.95 million viewers.
