Well before the midseason began, it was clear Fox would quickly shoot ahead in the ratings.

There was the return of "American Idol," of course, and also the Super Bowl. But Fox also had the advantage of a fresh slate of new and returning shows at a time when the other networks would be sinking deeper and deeper into reruns as the writers' strike dragged on.

What's surprising is how far Fox has shot ahead and how quickly. 

Less than a week into the February sweeps, Fox would seem to have already wrapped up the win, and likely the season-long victory as well. It would be very difficult for another network to catch up now.

Sunday’s record-setting Super Bowl, coupled with “American Idol,” pushed Fox to the best week in network history, giving it a huge sweeps advantage and the biggest season-to-date lead for any network in a decade.

Fox averaged a 12.9 adults 18-49 rating and 32 share for the week ended Feb. 3, the highest-rated week on any network in 11 years. It was the best in network history and more than doubled the average of the other Big Four networks combined.

That pushed Fox to a 4.1 season-to-date average, up 17 percent from this time last year and 0.9 ahead of No. 2 ABC, the biggest lead at this point in the season of any network since the 1997-’98 season.

For February sweeps, which began last Thursday, Fox leads with a 15.4 rating, with No. 2 ABC at 2.3, NBC at 1.7 and CBS at 1.4. While that huge advantage will shrink, it will still remain sizeable because of “Idol,” “House” and the new hit reality show “Moment of Truth.”

Most of Fox’s surge came courtesy of the Super Bowl. The game posted a 37.5 rating, second-best rating in Fox history behind the 1997 game, and was the top-rated game in 18-49s since the 2000 matchup on ABC.

The postgame “House” episode averaged a series-best 12.9 and became the highest-rated scripted show on broadcast since the post-Super Bowl “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC two years ago, as well as Fox’s top scripted show in 11 years.

Fox had smartly hoarded remaining episodes of the show, airing one the week before the game and one last night to build on the Super Bowl momentum. Other networks ran out of their hit scripted shows weeks ago.

“Idol,” though down from last year, has also been dominant for Fox. It bettered the combined timeslot average for the competition on the other six broadcast networks, including Univision and Telemundo, by 11 percent last week, averaging a 10.1 to their 9.1.

And Wednesday lead-out “Truth” has become one of the most successful post-“Idol” shows yet, leading Fox to order additional episodes last week. “Truth” is the season’s No. 3 show in 18-49s, behind the Tuesday and Wednesday “Idols,” averaging a 7.8 last week.

Even Fox’s Thursday lineup is doing better for the network. The combination of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” averaged a 3.2 rating, up 78 percent over the same night last year.

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Feb. 3:
 
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 12.9 rating and a 32 share, followed by ABC at 2.3/6, NBC at 2.1/5, CBS at 1.7/4, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 0.8/2, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox led with an 11.7 rating and a 32 share, followed by ABC at 1.8/5, Univision and NBC at 1.7/5, CBS at 1.0/3, CW at 0.9/2, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1 and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 13.5 rating and a 31 share, followed by ABC at 2.7/6, NBC at 2.5/6, CBS at 2.3/5, Univision at 1.4/3, CW at 0.8/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/1, Telemundo at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, Ion at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “Super Bowl XLII” 37.5; 2. Fox’s “Super Bowl Postgame” 26.6; 3. Fox’s “House 2/3” 12.9; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.0; 5. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 10.1.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “Super Bowl XLII” 97.45 million; 2. Fox’s “Super Bowl Postgame” 63.93 million; 3. Fox’s “House 2/3” 29.05 million; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 28.22 million; 5. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 25.57 million.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (Households, week ended Jan. 20): 1. Fox’s “NFC Championship” 29.0; 2. Fox’s “NFC Championship - Gun” 21.6; 3. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 18.2; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 17.4; 5. Fox’s “NFC Championship Postgame” 13.1.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended Jan. 20): 1. Fox’s “NFC Championship” 20.6; 2. Fox’s “NFC Championship - Gun” 16.7; 3. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 14.4; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 13.4; 5. Fox’s “NFC Championship Postgame” 9.4.
 
Show on the rise: “Super Bowl XLII,” Fox, Sunday around 6:30 p.m. It’s already been well-documented, but it bears repeating: Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl averaged 97.5 million viewers, the second-most-watched program in U.S. TV history behind the “M*A*S*H” series finale.
 
Show on the decline: “According to Jim” ABC, Tuesday 9 p.m. ABC’s lackluster comedy stumbled 17 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 2.3 rating to a 1.9.