'American Idol' bounces back some to lead FOX to win

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, May 13, 2008

" American Idol" saw its ratings bounce back a bit Tuesday, and once again the show led FOX to an easy win for the night.

FOX drew a 10.6 rating/16 share in primetime, finishing well ahead of CBS, 7.2/12. ABC came in third with a 6.6/11. NBC, 4.8/8, took fourth, and The CW trailed with a 1.2/2.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 7.1 rating more than doubled the 2.5 for its closest competitor, ABC. CBS, 2.4, was third, followed closely by NBC at 2.3. The CW managed only a 0.8.

After hitting a season low last week, "American Idol" scored a 14.0/22 at 8 p.m. this week, improving by about 2.7 million viewers as the final three contestants performed. "NCIS," 9.4/15, was a healthy second for CBS. A pair of "According to Jim" episodes averaged 3.1/5 for ABC, which was good enough to beat "Most Outrageous Moments" on NBC. The season finale of "Beauty and the Geek" drew a 1.1/2 for The CW.

ABC took the overall lead at 9 p.m. with the "Dancing with the Stars" results show, 11.0/17. FOX, however, kept the adults 18-49 lead with "Hell's Kitchen," 7.1/11. "Shark" came in third for CBS, topping the 4.1/6 for a "Law & Order: SVU" rerun on NBC. The CW got a 1.4/2 from "Reaper."

A new "Law & Order: SVU," 7.6/13, won the 10 p.m. hour for NBC. ABC's "Women's Murder Club," 5.8/10, edged a "Criminal Minds" rerun (5.6/9) on CBS for second.

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