For 'American Idol,'
the bloom's finally off
Ratings for the hit Fox show are down a quarter this season
By Bill Cromwell
Feb 2, 2012
This may be the year that "American Idol" returns to earth.
Fox's smash hit show will probably remain the No. 1 non-sports show on television, but it's nowhere near as dominant as it once was.
Ratings are down by a quarter to start the season, and in a first, it was beaten last week in its Thursday timeslot by "The Big Bang Theory."
It's certainly not the end for "Idol," which has had an amazingly long run at the top. But this may be its last season as the No. 1 entertainment show.
Two weeks in, "Idol" is averaging a 7.1 adults 18-49 rating on Wednesday, down 25 percent from last year and ranking No. 2 overall this season behind NBC's "Sunday Night Football" at 8.3.
The Thursday edition of "Idol" is averaging a 5.6 rating, off 28 percent from last year and fifth overall behind "SNF," the Wednesday "Idol," CBS's "Two and a Half Men" and ABC's "Modern Family."
That's well off from its peak in season five, six years ago, when the show aired on Tuesday and Wednesday and averaged a 12.1 across both nights.
It's not surprising for a show in its 11th season to see big declines. What's more surprising is that "Idol" remained as dominant for as long as it did, even seeing ratings gains last season, its 10th.
Media people have been wondering for years when "Idol's" long streak at No. 1 would end. In a poll conducted by Media Life last month, readers predicted that the show would remain first among total viewers and 18-49s this season.
But they also predicted that the show would see ratings decline, and they appear to be right.
Right now this is shaping up as the lowest-rated season since season one, when "Idol" aired in the summer and averaged a 6.2.
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