'American Idol,' 'Hell's Kitchen' premiere hold off CBS

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

A Thursday edition of "American Idol" carried FOX to a ratings win for the night, while giving a decent launch to the new season of " Hell's Kitchen."

FOX averaged a 10.1 rating/16 share in primetime, which was enough to beat CBS, 8.7/13, for the lead. ABC finished third but was well behind the leaders at 4.1/7. NBC, 3.1/5, came in fourth, and The CW trailed with 2.4/4.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 7.0 rating doubled the 3.5 for second-place CBS. NBC grabbed third with a 1.9, followed by ABC, 1.8, and The CW, 1.7.

The final audition episode of "Idol" drew a 13.7/21 for FOX at 8 p.m. A "Criminal Minds" rerun on CBS snagged second with a 5.9/9. The CW's " Smallville," 2.6/4, finished third in total viewers and adults 18-49, even though NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and "Kath & Kim" and ABC's "Ugly Betty" had slightly higher household ratings.

CBS moved into the lead at 9 p.m. with " CSI," 12.1/19. The season premiere of "Hell's Kitchen" scored a 6.5/10 for FOX and came within a few tenths of CBS in the 18-49 demo. A "Grey's Anatomy" rerun on ABC drew a 4.0/6, edging repeats of "The Office" and "30 Rock" on NBC. "Supernatural" scored a 2.2/3 for The CW.

" Eleventh Hour," 8.1/14, kept CBS on top at 10 p.m. "Private Practice" drew a 5.4/9 for ABC, while an "ER" repeat on NBC posted a 3.1/5.

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