Show moves to Tuesdays, away from 'Idol'

LOS ANGELES -- UPN is sending "Veronica Mars" back to her old home for its final episodes this season, which may be both good and bad news for the series.

Starting April 11, "Veronica" will air at 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays -- the same timeslot it held last season. Repeats are scheduled to air on Wednesdays for at least two weeks following the change; plans for after that "will be announced shortly," the network says. The show will remain in its current Wednesday home until then.

With the move, "Veronica Mars" will lose its strong lead-in, "America's Next Top Model," which helped boost the critically loved high-school noir's ratings in the fall. "Veronica's" ratings have suffered in recent airings, however, partly due to the absence of "Top Model" and partly due to the return of "American Idol." For the season, it's averaging about 2.4 million viewers per week, just about even with its numbers this time last year.

Moving the show to Tuesdays does get it out of "Idol's" path, as well as that of ABC's "Lost" and CBS' "Criminal Minds." It will, however, have to go up against FOX's "House" and CBS' emerging hit "The Unit."

What the change means for "Veronica's" chances to make the jump to The CW next season remains to be seen. UPN President Dawn Ostroff, who will run the new network, is a fan of the show. Still, its marginal ratings make a pickup for The CW, which will feature programs from both UPN and The WB, less than certain.