Fox tops ratings with 'Dance'

ABC's 'Wipeout,' NBC's 'Talent' stand strong

By RICK KISSELL

ABC, NBC and Fox each received strong performances from reality shows on Wednesday, another summer night when scripted programs took a back seat. Fox won the evening among both young adults and total viewers, behind "So You Think You Can Dance."

According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, Fox's two-hour "So You Think You Can Dance" averaged a winning 2.7 rating/9 share in adults 18-49 and 7.6 million viewers overall from 8 to 10 p.m. -- on the low side of its ratings range as the show nears the end of its summer run.

Also putting up similar demo scores on the evening were competing unscripted series "Wipeout" on ABC (2.6/9 in 18-49, 7.8 million viewers overall) and "America's Got Talent" on NBC (2.7/8 in 18-49, 10.1 million viewers overall). "Wipeout" was neck and neck with Fox's "Dance" for leadership in the 8 o'clock hour, while "Talent" was close on the tails of "Dance" during the 9 o'clock hour and ruled as the night's most-watched program overall.

Elsewhere things were pretty quiet, though two hours of "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" fared OK for ABC, with the 9 o'clock segment averaging a 1.4/4 in 18-49 and 3.9 million viewers overall. The audience then stuck with the program for its special second hour (1.4/4 in 18-49, 3.6 million viewers overall), which wrapped the show's season.

CBS got a bit stronger as the night progressed, starting with low-rated repeats of comedies "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (1.0/4 in 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall) and "Gary Unmarried" (1.1/4 in 18-49, 3.9 million viewers overall) and then improving with repeat dramas "Criminal Minds" (1.4/4 in 18-49, 6.1 million viewers overall) and "CSI: NY" (1.7/5 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall).

At NBC, neither the 8 o'clock special "TV's 50 Funniest Phrases" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.8 million viewers overall) nor firstrun 10 p.m. drama "The Philanthropist" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.4 million viewers overall) did much.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 2.7/9; ABC, 1.8/6; NBC, 1.7/5; CBS, 1.4/4; Univision, 1.2/4; CW, 0.5/2.

In total viewers for the night: Fox, 7.6 million; NBC, 6.4 million; CBS, 5.9 million; ABC, 5.1 million; Univision, 3.2 million.