So how does daytime TV draw in those new viewers? Perhaps by doing what worked for primetime: Turn to reality TV.

On May 15, former “American Idol” finalist Constantine Maroulis, he of the dark eyes and unkempt hair, is joining CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful,” this season’s second-ranked daytime drama among households.

His new role won’t be much of a stretch. He’s playing music producer Constantine Parros, a potential love interest for heiress Phoebe Forrester, and he’ll be performing songs from his soon-to-be-released first solo album on the show.

It’s no surprise that “Bold” would poach from “Idol” in a bid to woo younger viewers. Though the soap is near the top among households, it ranked second-to-last among the nine daytime dramas in women 18-34 last season. Hiring Maroulis not only guarantees the show some needed buzz, at a time when most soaps are buzz-less, but also gives it some artistic legitimacy.

Suddenly “Idol” has become a breeding place for outstanding talent, what with Grammys for seasons one and four winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, respectively, as well as the recent Oscar for season three finalist Jennifer Hudson.

Maroulis, who made the top six on “Idol” two years ago, is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and recently appeared in the Broadway musical “The Wedding Singer.”

He’s still tremendously popular among “Idol’s” main audience of viewers 18-49, as evidenced on his MySpace page. He has more than 20,000 friends and more than 37,000 messages from those friends, nearly all of them females and many of them already anticipating his “Bold” debut.

“Only 13 days to your debut on B & B. Can t wait to see you rock them. Tivo is set up. Wanna keep these episodes,” writes one fan.

Types another: “Love your voice and can't wait to see you on The bold & the beautiful! Keep in touch. Luv-Senora.”

Maroulis is not the first “Idol” castoff to join a soap, though he’s certainly the most well known. Season three’s Matthew Metzger, who made it only to the semifinal round and thus received nowhere near the exposure of Maroulis, was brought on ABC’s “One Life to Live.”

Meanwhile, in other dayparts for the week ended April 22, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first among Sunday morning shows in total viewers, bringing in 3.13 million, but it fell to a rare second among adults 25-54 with a 0.8 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 2.82 million and first among 25-54s with a 0.9 rating, followed by ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” with 2.59 million viewers and a 0.7, and Fox “News Sunday” in fourth place with 1.26 million and a 0.3 among adults 25-54.
 
In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was first for the week, averaging 5.4 million total viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Nightline” had 4.0 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the demo, with “The Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS bringing in 3.8 million viewers and a 1.2 rating. In late late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 2.0 million total viewers and a 0.8 in 18-49s, CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” had 1.8 million viewers and a 0.6, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 1.7 million viewers and a 0.7, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” drew 1.2 million viewers and a 0.5 among 18-49s.
 
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.6 million total viewers and a 4.3 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.8 million viewers and a 3.8/13. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.7 million total viewers and a 2.2/8.
 
In daytime, CBS once again had the largest audience for both daytime dramas and full daytime, 3.81 million and 4.17 million respectively, but was second among women 18-49 for daytime dramas with a 1.4 rating and full daytime with a 1.3. ABC had the second-largest audience with 3.15 million watching its dramas and 3.31 million for full daytime, and was first among women 18-49 with a 1.6 rating for both dramas and full daytime. NBC had an audience of 2.05 million for both dramas and full daytime, and was also third with a 1.1 rating in women 18-49 for both.
 
In evening network news for the week ended April 29, ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” regained the top spot among total viewers and 25-54s, with an average of 8.2 million viewers and a 2.1 25-54 rating. NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was second, averaging 7.89 million viewers and a 2.0 among 25-54s, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.39 million total viewers and a 1.7 25-54 rating.