Fox dramas top Tuesday ratings

ABC, NBC see boost in reality fare

By RICK KISSELL

Fox rookie 'Fringe' reclaimed its position as the Tuesday nine o'clock hour's top drama in 18-49.

'House' was once again Tuesday night's top program in virtually every key demographic.

One week after the CBS dramas stole the spotlight with season highs, it was Fox’s turn to shine on Tuesday, as “House” and “Fringe” both won their hours in demos and combined for their highest average of the fall.

Also of note: The results show edition of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” saw a season high as it approaches next week’s finale, and Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” finished its season on a franchise high.

For Fox, rookie drama “Fringe” (4.1 rating/10 share in adults 18-49, 9.18 million viewers overall) retained a good chunk of its lead-in from “House” (5.6/15, 13.26m), which once again was the night’s top program in virtually every key demo. “Fringe” reclaimed its position as the hour’s top drama in 18-49 one week after CBS’ own rookie “The Mentalist” bested it for the first time.

Combined, “House” and “Fringe” netted their highest 18-49 average on the night (4.8/12) since their preseason kickoff together on Sept. 16. Numbers were on par with the same night a year ago for Fox when “Bones” led into “House.”

In a sked change beginning in January, “Fringe” will air behind “American Idol,” giving it even more of a chance to grow its audience, while “House” is headed for Mondays at 8.

At ABC, “Dancing With the Stars” continues to lag behind last year’s ratings level by double-digit percentages, but Tuesday’s results show hit a season high (4.0/10 in 18-49, 17.59m) and won in most categories in its second half-hour. Net continues to struggle, though, at 10 o’clock with soph drama “Eli Stone” (1.6/4, 6.36m).

At NBC, “The Biggest Loser” (3.2/8, 7.77m) grew with each half-hour and was up a tick year to year. “Law & Order: SVU” (3.7/10, 10.11m) closed out the night with a win in key demos.

CBS, the only major net to show gains vs. this night last year, was paced by “NCIS” (3.5/9, 17.99m) and “The Mentalist” (3.5/9, 15.84), though both were down half a ratings point from their season highs of the previous week. “Without a Trace” (2.6/7, 11.85m) closed things out with a second-place finish in most demos.

At Bravo, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” posted the best numbers to date (1.3/3 in 18-49, 2.21m) for any telecast of the net’s “Real Housewives” franchise, rising about 50% over the previous week’s score.

It stood as the No. 1 cablecast of the day among 18-49 and No. 1 on cable in primetime among adults 18-34 (1.4/4).