'Idol' tide fails
to lift 'Human Target'
Lead-out drama averages a 3.4 in adults 18-49
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 21, 2010
There's no denying the potency of "American Idol," which continued to dominate last night for Fox. But lead-out "Human Target" had trouble holding that audience against strong competition.
"Target" averaged a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, holding a mere 35 percent of "Idol's" massive 9.8 lead-in in its first post-"Idol" original.
The show's rating slipped 24 percent from its first to its second half, from a 3.8 to a 2.9.
"Target's" rating did rise slightly over a rerun of the pilot that aired Tuesday after "Idol," and it bettered the 2.9 for Sunday's premiere.
But "Idol" may have benefited ABC and CBS more in the 9 p.m. hour by bringing a large number of viewers to television at 8 p.m., where the reality show's ratings dwarfed the combined competition.
Once "Idol" was finished, those people were apparently looking for something to watch and switched over to ABC's "Modern Family" or CBS's "Criminal Minds," both of which saw big gains over last week and over their season-to-date averages.
"Family" averaged a 4.1 rating, its best number since its premiere, in the 9 p.m. slot opposite "Target." It was up 24 percent over last week, when it aired opposite "Idol."
"Minds" averaged a 4.3 in the hour, up 13 percent over last week and above its 3.7 season-to-date average.
Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 6.6 average overnight rating and a 17 share. CBS was second at 3.3/9, ABC third at 2.3/6, Univision and NBC tied for fourth at 1.4/4, and CW sixth at 0.5/1.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
Fox began the night in the lead with a 9.8 at 8 p.m. for “Idol,” followed by CBS with a 1.9 for “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (1.9) and “Gary Unmarried” (1.9). ABC was third with a 1.7 for repeats of “Modern Family” and “The Middle,” and NBC and Univision tied for fourth at 1.4, NBC for “Mercy” and Univision for “Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe.” The CW placed sixth with a 0.7 for a repeat of “Life Unexpected,” a low rating but notably better than the reruns it's been airing over recent weeks.
CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 4.3 for “Minds,” while ABC moved to second with a 3.9 for “Family” (4.1) and “Cougar Town” (3.4). Fox was third with a 3.4 for “Target,” Univision fourth with a 1.6 for “Sortilegio,” NBC fifth with a 1.4 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a “Gossip Girl” rerun.
At 10 p.m. CBS led again with a 3.7 for “CSI: NY,” with ABC second with a 1.6 for “Ugly Betty.” NBC was third with a 1.2 for “The Jay Leno Show” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
Fox also led the night among households with a 10.3 average overnight rating and a 16 share. CBS was second at 7.4/12, ABC third at 3.9/6, NBC fourth at 3.6/6, Univision fifth at 1.9/3 and CW sixth at 0.8/1.
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