Last year "American Idol" made "House" a hit. Now "House" is a hit all on its own.
   Last night’s second-season premiere averaged a very strong 5.7 overnight rating among 18-49s, a 10 percent increase over the 5.2 it averaged last season.
   It helped the 8 p.m. new drama “Bones,” which led into “House” at 9, to a 3.6 18-49 rating in its debut, a very solid number made more promising by 10 percent growth in its second half hour.
   Last season “House” struggled during the fall until “Idol” debuted in January as “House’s” lead-in. Its November debuted averaged just a 2.7 rating.
   From January to May, airing out of "Idol," the show more than doubled its previous average rating.
   Though “House” averaged a 7.7 for its season finale in May, there was some question over whether the show could sustain high ratings without “Idol.” Apparently it can.
   The other good news for Fox is that “House” helped lift “Bones,” which didn’t get great reviews, to a decent premiere, as it won its timeslot last night. 
   Fox led for the night with a 4.8 average rating and a 13 share. NBC finished second at 3.0/8, CBS third at 2.7/7, the WB fourth at 2.6/7, ABC fifth at 2.1/6 and UPN sixth at 0.9/2.
     At 8 p.m., Fox led with a 3.8 average rating for the series premiere of “Bones.” NBC was second with a 3.0 for the first hour of its 90-minute “Biggest Loser” premiere.
   The WB’s “Gilmore Girls” finished third with its sixth-season debut, earning a 2.7 rating among 18-49s, a 28.6 percent boost over its 2.1 average from last season. Among 18-34s, the show averaged a 3.0.
   Fox led again at 9 p.m. with its 5.7 average for the “House” premiere. CBS was second that hour with a 3.2 average for “Big Brother” and NBC third with a 3.0 for the last half hour of “Loser” (3.8) and an episode of “Tommy Lee Goes to College” (2.2). The WB was fourth with a promising 2.4 for the premiere of “Supernatural.”
   NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 3.0 average for a repeat of “Law & Order: SVU.” CBS was a close second with a 2.9 for “Rock Star: INXS” and ABC third with a 2.2 average for the last hour of the “World Music Awards.”
   Among households, Fox led the night with an 8.2 average rating and a 13 share. NBC was second at 5.6/9, CBS third at 5.1/8, the WB fourth at 3.8/6, ABC fifth at 3.7/6 and UPN sixth at 1.5/2.