The Sked: WEDNESDAY RATINGS January 25

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>American Idol still guided FOX to a Wednesday win, but wow is the show in a tailspin.  Are they letting too many untalented singers through?  Jim Carrey’s daughter the other night — really?  Is the format simply tired?  In any case, it still won the 8 pm hour handily and helped successfully launch the new drama Touch.

             Nightly Adult 18-49 Rating
Wednesday    FOX    CBS    ABC    NBC
01.25.2012   5.2    2.9    1.5    1.3
01.26.2011   9.2    2.1    2.1    1.4

FOX’s American Idol fell to a preliminary 6.4 rating with Adults 18-49 last night, down 14% from the first Wednesday telecast last week.  Last year, the second Wednesday Idol episode fell 5% from the first (9.2 for two hours from 9.7 for the two hour premiere).  Although any network would kill for a 6.4 rating, there is clearly a problem with the show.  Fewer people turned out for the premiere and fewer people are coming back.  Nonetheless, Touch starring Keifer Sutherland premiered solidly with a 3.9 rating from 9-10 pm.  Last year on this night, FOX averaged a 9.2 for American Idol, with the following ratings by half hour:  8:00 (7.7), 8:30 (9.5), 9:00 (9.4) and 9:30 (10.3).    

CBS averaged a 2.9 rating for the night.  A repeat Criminal Minds (1.7) supported a decent Minds original at 9 (3.6) and a season high for CSI (3.3), as Marg Helgenberger left the once mighty crime series.  Last year on this night: Live to Dance (1.0), Criminal Minds (3.2) and Blue Bloods (2.1).  

NBC’s “Happy Hour” of female comedy continues its voyage to the bottom of the ratings, a 1.4 for original episodes of Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea?  A two-hour repeat block of SVU episodes didn’t do much better, scoring a 1.2 at 9 and 1.4 at 10 pm.  Last year on this night was about the same from 8-10 pm but much better at 10 pm: Minute to Win It (1.4), Chase (1.2) and Law & Order SVU (1.7).         

ABC still finished ahead of NBC with a slate of repeats.  Last year on this night, ABC averaged a 2.1 rating: The Middle (2.0), The Middle (2.0), Modern Family (2.6), Cougar Town (2.0) and Off the Map (1.8).   

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