TV Ratings: 'Idol' Rebounds Some, 'Lost' So-So

Zap2It.com | January 22, 2009

Tim Roth of 'Lie to Me'

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FOX takes Wednesday with 'Idol,' decent 'Lie to Me' debut

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Ratings for "American Idol" bounced back a bit after Tuesday's inaugural-influenced drop, and FOX's "Lie to Me" and ABC's "Lost" both opened to decent numbers on a busy Wednesday.

FOX won the night with an 11.0 rating/17 share. CBS rode its reliable crime dramas to second place at 7.0/11, topping ABC's 6.2/10. NBC, 4.3/7, came in fourth, and The CW trailed with a scant 0.8/1.

The adults 18-49 title also went to FOX, which drew a 7.4 rating in the key demographic. ABC was a healthy second at 4.5. CBS, 2.9, took third, followed by NBC, 1.9, and The CW, 0.5.

"American Idol" earned a 14.3/22 and drew 25.4 million viewers at 8 p.m., a significant jump over the 22.4 million who tuned in Tuesday. ABC took second for the hour with the clip show "Lost: Destiny Calls," 5.3/8. "The New Adventures of Old Christine," 4.8/7, and "Gary Unmarried," 4.5/7, put CBS in third, ahead of "Knight Rider" on NBC. The CW only managed a 0.9/1 with "13: Fear Is Real."

"Criminal Minds," 8.7/13, moved CBS to the lead at 9 p.m. The premiere of "Lie to Me" on FOX came in second with a 7.7/12 and won the hour in adults 18-49, narrowly beating "Lost" (6.8/10) in the demographic. A "Law & Order: SVU" rerun on NBC posted a 3.8/6. The CW aired a "90210" rerun.

At 10 p.m., "CSI: NY" scored a 7.7/12 to keep CBS in front of ABC and "Lost," which fell a little to 6.4/10 in its second hour. "Law & Order" delivered a 5.8/9 for NBC.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.