Overnights
Fox waltzes off with Wednesday night
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jul 17, 2008 - 11:45:46 AM

With a number of shows hitting season or series lows, Fox easily topped last night with the hit reality series “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The two-hour episode averaged a 3.0 among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, 58 percent ahead of second-place CBS on the night.

“Dance” was down a tad from last week’s 3.1 average, but it held up better than several other reality shows. CBS’s “Big Brother,” making its Wednesday debut, averaged a mere 1.8 rating in the 8 p.m. timeslot, tying the lowest outing in series history.

NBC’s “Baby Borrowers” slipped 14 percent from last week’s 2.8 to a series-low 2.4 at 9 p.m., and lead-out “Celebrity Circus” averaged a 1.6 rating in its finale, its lowest yet.

The 9 p.m. hour may have been hurt by the season premiere of Bravo’s “Project Runway,” which performs well among 18-49s, last night.

As mentioned before, Fox was tops for the night with a 3.0 average overnight rating and a 10 share. CBS was second at 1.9/6, NBC third at 1.8/6, Univision fourth at 1.6/5, ABC fifth at 1.5/5 and CW sixth at 0.4/1.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with a 2.9 for the first half of “Dance,” while Univision and CBS tied for second at 1.8, Univision for “Al Diablo con los Guapos” and CBS for “Brother.” ABC and NBC tied for fourth at 1.3, ABC for a repeat of “Wife Swap” and NBC for a “Baby” rerun, with CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model.”
 
Fox led again at 9 p.m. with a 3.2 for more “Dance,” followed by NBC with a 2.4 for a new “Baby.” CBS was third with a 1.9 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” Univision fourth with a 1.7 for “Fuego en la Sangre,” ABC fifth with a 1.3 for a repeat of “Supernanny” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a rerun of “The Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.”
 
At 10 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 2.0 for a repeat of “CSI: NY,” with ABC second with a 1.9 for “Primetime.” NBC was third with a 1.6 for “Celebrity Circus” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
 
Fox also finished first for the night among households with a 5.5 average overnight rating and a 10 share. CBS was second at 5.3/9, ABC third at 3.4/6, NBC fourth at 3.1/6, Univision fifth at 2.0/4 and CW sixth at 0.8/1.