With an intriguing concept, positive buzz and Kiefer Sutherland as the lead, “Touch” was going to debut well on FOX no matter what. Add in the “American Idol” lead-in (albeit a reduced one), and you have a very strong performance.
“Touch” opened to a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating with 12.0 million viewers Wednesday, easily making for FOX’s most successful drama debut of the year. While some will complain about the raw retention out of “American Idol,” which drew a 6.4 and 19.5 million viewers, it actually held up far better than series typically do in the position. “Idol” is an appointment show with a specific fanbase, and it is very difficult to retain that audience for any lead-out series at 9PM.
On the subject of “Idol,” that 6.4 would be historically disappointing for any airing of the show. As the rating for the second Wednesday night audition episode, it is very alarming and reflective of how much steam “Idol” has already lost this year.