Overnights
NBC's 'Nashville Star' hits a lower note
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jul 1, 2008 - 11:21:15 AM

As if we needed more proof that successful cable shows don’t necessarily translate to broadcast success, NBC’s "Nashville Star" stumbled once again last night.

The former USA summer hit averaged a 1.5 rating among viewers 18-49 over its two hours last night, down 21 percent from a 1.9 last week. That’s also down 32 percent from the 2.2 rating the premiere episode averaged back on June 16.

The first hour of "Star" at 9 p.m. posted a 1.4 among 18-49s, down 18 percent from a 1.7 for last week’s first hour, and things did not improve at 10 p.m. During that hour "Star" posted a 1.5, off 29 percent from a 2.1 last week.

That second hour was against notably weak competition, ABC’s "The Mole" and a repeat of CBS’s "CSI: Miami," which were flat to last week.

"Star" joins fellow USA imports "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Monk" and "Psych" as cable hits that have struggled to draw significant audiences on NBC.

CBS and ABC ended up tied for the lead for the night among 18-49s, each with a 2.2 average overnight rating and a 7 share. Fox was third at 2.1/7, Univision and NBC tied for fourth at 1.6/5 and CW sixth at 0.4/1.

At 8 p.m. ABC led with a 2.3 for "The Bachelorette," followed by CBS with a 1.9 for repeats of "The Big Bang Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother." NBC, Fox and Univision all tied for third at 1.8, NBC for "American Gladiators," Fox for a "Bones" rerun and Univision for "Al Diablo con los Guapos," with CW sixth with a 0.4 for a repeat of "Gossip Girl."

ABC led again at 9 p.m. with a 2.6 for "The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All," while Fox and CBS tied for second at 2.5, Fox for a "House" rerun and CBS for repeats of "Two and a Half Men" and "Rules of Engagement." Univision was fourth with a 1.8 for "Fuego en la Sangre," NBC fifth with a 1.4 for the first hour of "Nashville Star" and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a repeat of "One Tree Hill."

At 10 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 2.1 for a repeat of "CSI: Miami," with ABC second with a 1.6 for "The Mole." NBC was third with a 1.5 for the last half of "Nashville Star" and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for "Cristina."

Among households, Fox was first for the night with a 4.7 average overnight rating and an 8 share. CBS was second at 4.6/8, ABC third at 4.5/8, NBC fourth at 3.3/6, Univision fifth at 2.0/3 and CW sixth at 0.7/1.