'Lost' finds aud for ABC
'Jim' defeats 'Frasier,' places 2nd in key demos
According to Nielsen, the premiere of family laffer "Lost," which received mostly favorable reviews, placed second in its 9:30 timeslot among adults 18-49 (3.9/10), retaining 93% of its lead-in from "According to Jim" (4.2/10).
"Lost" toppled the season finale of NBC's competing comedy "A.U.S.A." (3.2/8 in A18-49), but ran well behind the second half of Fox's "24" (5.8/14).
Win by 'Jim'
"Jim," which also aired an original seg at 8:30, moved to the 9 o'clock anchor slot and placed second in key demos. The second-year comedy defeated NBC's fading "Frasier" by 17% in adults 18-49 (4.2/10 vs. 3.6/9) -- ABC's first victory over an original "Frasier" since the vet laffer moved back to Tuesdays in fall 2000.
"Jim" and "Lost" combined to give ABC its strongest comedy scores in the hour since December. Beginning next week, a repeat "Jim" will air at 8:30 followed by an original seg at 9.
Solid perfs
Elsewhere on the night, Fox prevailed in every half-hour from 8 to 10 with "American Idol" (9.6/26 in adults 18-49, 21.21 million viewers) and "24" (6.2/15, 12.48m). "Idol," on which host Ryan Seacrest told aud that finalist Corey Clark had been disqualified due to his headline-making misdemeanor battery charges, rocked to its best 8 o'clock numbers in four weeks.
At 10, ABC's "Barbara Walters Special," postponed from Oscar night, settled for a 3.3/9 in adults 18-49. NBC's "Three Stooges Anniversary," also skedded for a previous date, netted a third-place 2.9/8 in the demo from 8 to 9 -- on par with the net's recent scores in the hour.
