Wednesday 'American Idol': Ratings Dip, As ABC Comedies Rise

The week's second "American Idol" performance set Wednesday night could've performed worse, but it wasn't exactly a breakout, either.

Wednesday's show - this one, all about the ladies' performances - won FOX this week's Wednesday night crown by drawing 17 million viewers and a 4.9 adult-demographic rating, but that's actually a one-tenth point slip below the Tuesday show's rating featuring the male semifinalists despite getting about 1 million more viewers.

Nothing moved downward a step on ABC, where three shows gained ground and two remained steady as a clock. "The Middle" received 8.5 million viewers and a 2.6 rating, good for an 18-percent rise, while "Suburgatory" (a 2.4 rating, up 4 percent) and "Happy Endings" (a 2.8 rating, up 17 percent) rounded out the network's gainers. Otherwise, "Modern Family" (a 4.8 rating) and "Revenge" (a 2.4 rating) didn't gain but didn't lose, either.

'Twas a night of good news and bad news on CBS. After hitting a series-low rating the week before, "Survivor: One World" perked up slightly to a 2.9 rating. Elsewhere, the 3.1 rating earned by "Criminal Minds" held the procedural steady. Those were the two pieces of good news. The bad news? After two "up" weeks, "CSI" slipped 10 percent to a 2.6 rating.

Ah, then there's NBC and the tale of two comedies that just won't die.

"Whitney" kept its life-support beeping with a 1.5, while "Are You There, Chelsea??" was actualy lower but steady at a 1.3 rating. Turning to good shows (briefly), "Law & Order: SVU" posted a steady 1.6, while the pitifully performing "Rock Center" turned in an anemic 0.7 rating.

All's not lost for "Rock Center" though. There's at least one show it's actually outperforming.

Its overall rating nudges out - barely, but nudges out - the U.S.-vs.-U.K. retooling of "America's Next Top Model." The CW's long-running reality hit posted 1.3 million viewers and a 0.6 rating last night. That marks a 54-percent nosedive over last February's debut.

Wow. Is it possible that 18 cycles might just be the magic number for retirement?

SOURCES: EW.com, Yahoo! OMG!