It’s not often a program delivers its best rating of the season while airing against Fox’s “American Idol,” but that’s exactly what NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” was able to pull off last night.
 
The two-hour fifth-season finale of the reality weight-loss competition averaged a 4.4 overnight rating among viewers 18-49 from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, a season high and NBC’s highest non-Olympic rating in the timeslot since November 2005.
 
And that was despite the first half of “Loser” airing against “Idol,” which posted the highest rating of the night among 18-49s with an 8.6. Of course, that was also a season low for the Tuesday edition of the reality singing competition.
 
“Loser” averaged a 3.6 during the first 60 minutes but jumped nearly 42 percent in its second hour to a 5.1 during the 9 p.m. hour, good for No. 1 in that period.

That also helped provide a good cushion for 10 p.m. lead-out “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which returned from the writers’ strike with a 4.7 average, its best outing since October and up slightly over its 4.5 season average for originals.
 
Fox was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 6.7 average overnight rating and a 17 share. NBC was second at 4.5/12, ABC and CBS tied for third at 2.3/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/5 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox led with an 8.6 for “American Idol,” followed by NBC with a 3.6 for the first hour of “Loser.” CBS was third with a 3.1 for “NCIS,” Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos,” ABC fifth with a 1.3 for an hour of “According to Jim” and CW sixth with a 0.7 for “Beauty and the Geek.”
 
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 5.1 for the second hour of “Loser,” while Fox slipped to second with a 4.9 for “Hell’s Kitchen.” ABC was third with a season-low 3.4 for “Dancing with the Stars,” CBS fourth with a 2.4 for “Big Brother,” Univision fifth with a 1.9 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a “Reaper” rerun.
 
At 10 p.m. NBC held onto the lead with a 4.7 for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” with ABC second with a 2.2 for “Boston Legal.” CBS was third that hour with a 1.5 for “48 Hours Mystery” and Univision sixth with a 1.2 for “Aqui y Ahora.”
 
Among households, Fox led the night with a 10.2 average overnight rating and a 16 share. NBC was second at 7.5/12, ABC third at 6.2/10, CBS fourth at 5.8/9, Univision fifth at 2.0/3 and CW sixth at 1.1/2.