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Newest 'Idol'
challenge: 'Biggest Loser'

Posts its best numbers against the hit Fox show

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 3, 2009

“American Idol” remains the most-watched show on television by a long shot, but it’s not quite the competition killer it has been in the past. CBS’s “NCIS” has drawn good numbers against it the past two years as an alternative for older viewers.

And now NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” has established a foothold against “Idol,” luring in some of those adults 18-49 who prefer reality shows about fat people to those about flat singers.

The two-hour show, which airs tonight at 8 p.m., last week posted its best viewership for a non-finale, non-premiere episode in four years despite airing against “Idol” in its first hour.

The program, in which morbidly obese participants compete to see who can lose the most weight, averaged 11.0 million viewers. It also averaged a 4.1 adults 18-49 rating, its best non-finale, non-premiere rating in more than a year.

In three weeks opposite “Idol,” “Loser” is actually up 15 percent in 18-49s compared to the same period last year, from a 3.8 to a 3.3, and has improved 23 percent among total viewers, from 8.2 million to 10 million. “Idol” has seen declines in both categories.

The strong performance of “Loser” is heartening for NBC, which for years was among the poorest-performing networks opposite “Idol.” Shows from “Fear Factor” to “Joey” to “Dateline” have been hammered by the Fox juggernaut on Tuesday in years past.

But this year, “Loser” has proven impressive despite now running its seventh season. Still, its strong numbers speak as much to “Idol’s” wane as to “Loser’s” success.

Though “Idol” is still the dominant show on television, it too has seen ratings fall from its peak two years ago, with Tuesday’s total viewership down 23 percent this year. Actually, “Loser’s” one of the few shows on television right now that hasn’t lost viewers from last season, a list that includes the biggest hits on TV, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Heroes” to “House.”

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Actor and comedian Steve Martin guests.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Nice Big Ten matchup between Purdue and Ohio State.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	The partners who made it back to the ranch weigh in.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Finally, the Hollywood rounds begin.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Scrubs” (C)	Cox feels pressured and actually enlists the help of Dr. Kelso.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (D)	A young girl is kidnapped, and her mother’s ex is the main suspect.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives of Orange County” (R)	The girls take a trip to Las Vegas. Sounds like trouble.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Syracuse tries to end its three-game losing streak against a good West Virginia team.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	More performances from the Hollywood round.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Lost” (D)	Kate finds out that somebody knows the identity of Aaron’s parents.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Katie Couric: ‘All Access’ Grammy Special” (A)	Making her second primetime appearance in a week, Couric interviews current and former Grammy nominees.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order” (D)	An NYPD officer dies during a hostage situation.
10 p.m.	A&E	“Dog the Bounty Hunter” (R)	Anyone seen Michael Vick? Dog searches for someone suspected of animal cruelty.
10 p.m.	E!	“Anna Nicole: Tragedy in Paradise” (N)	A new look at the events surrounding the model’s death.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	“Bones” (D)	Evidence from the Grave Digger investigation goes missing.
8 p.m.	CW	“Smallville” (D)	LuthorCorp suffers an explosion, injuring Oliver.
8 p.m.	TNT	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Finals rematch between the Lakers and Celtics in Boston.
9 p.m.	NBC	“The Office” (C)	Michael goes on a speaking tour with Pam as his driver.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	Derek ponders the best way to propose to Meredith.
10 p.m.	NBC	“ER” (D)	William H. Macy’s Dr. Morgenstern pays the hospital a visit.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	The ghost of a haughty mother tracks down Melinda.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in Texas deal with a domestic case turned high-speed chase.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Supernanny” (R)	Jo helps a family with 10 kids ranging in age from 6 months to 15 years.
9 p.m.	USA	“Monk” (D)	A bully from Monk’s school days asks for his help.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Don and the crew somehow wind up in the world of sneaker collecting.
10 p.m.	USA	“Psych” (D)	The guys must prove a pathological liar is telling the truth in order to prevent an assassination.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Interesting nonconference game between Notre Dame and UCLA.
8 p.m.	Fox	“NASCAR Racing” (S)	Coverage of the 75-lap Budweiser Shootout.
8 p.m.	TNT	“Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” (M)	Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a doctor who overcomes adversity to rise to one of the top positions in his profession.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Another good nonconference matchup, this between Memphis and Gonzaga.
9 p.m.	Nickelodeon	“Naked Brothers Band” (K)	Nat goes on a TV dating show for charity.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Make Me a Supermodel” (R)	The cast of season two is introduced.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
12:30 p.m.	NBC	“NHL Hockey” (S)	There aren’t too many mainstream high-profile NHL matchups, but Detroit-Pittsburgh is one of them.
3 p.m. p.m.	CBS	“PGA Golf” (S)	Final round of the Buick Invitational, won last year by Tiger Woods.
4:30 p.m.	NBC	“NFL Football” (S)	The annual Pro-Bowl game from Honolulu.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Grammy Awards” (A)	The 51st annual event, live from Los Angeles.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Desperate Housewives” (D)	Bree buys a new car, and Lynette and Tom discuss selling theirs.
10 p.m.	Showtime	“United States of Tara” (C)	A new friend of Tara’s wants to meet another of her personalities.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Flight of the Conchords” (C)	Murray works on his relations with the band.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.