Fox easily ruled primetime in Tuesday, as a two-hour "American Idol" captured each of its half-hours in every key ratings category, according to preliminary Nielsens.
From 8 to 10, "Idol" averaged a big 11.2/28 in adults 18-49, a 12.1/28 in adults 25-54 and a 10.7/31 in adults 18-34. In total viewers, Fox's 26.5 million is its most ever for a Tuesday night.
With the other nets battling for crumbs, ABC placed second in 18-49, led by "NYPD Blue" (second-place 3.5/10 in adults 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) and 9 o'clock's "According to Jim" (3.4/8 in adults 18-49, 8.3 million viewers overall). "Jim" handily beat NBC's "Frasier" (2.6/6 in adults 18-49, 8.3 million viewers overall), with the latter falling to an all-time firstrun low less than two months from its series finale.
The premiere of CBS legal drama "Century City" was a bust from 9 to 10 (2.2/5 in adults 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall), placing fourth in 18-49 and 25-54.
In the night's 10 o'clock hour, a repeat of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" (4.0/11 in adults 18-49, 9.9 million viewers overall) led in key demos over ABC's "NYPD Blue" and CBS' "Judging Amy" (2.6/7 in adults 18-49, 11.6 million viewers overall). "Amy" led the hour in total viewers.
Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 11.2/28; ABC, 3.1/8; NBC, 2.9/7; CBS, 2.6/7; UPN, 1.8/5; WB, 1.1/3.
In total viewers: Fox, 26.5 million; CBS, 11.3 million; ABC, 8.3 million; NBC, 7.9 million; UPN, 4.2 million; WB, 2.6 million.
Contact Rick Kissell at
rick.kissell@variety.com