Wednesday (2/15) Ratings: 'American Idol' Wins, 'CSI' Rises

FOX's two-hour "American Idol" Wednesday night slapped around the competing "Survivor: One World" premiere on CBS, while Elisabeth Shue's "CSI" debut gave the show a welcome boost.

The 18.6 million viewers and 6.0 rating among adults age 18-49 gave "Idol" an edge over Monday's "The Voice" on NBC. It was such a sizable audience, that the 10.7 million viewers watching "Survivor" barely fazed the FOX mid-week favorite. The "Survivor" premiere did garner a 3.0 rating, a 6-percent decline compared with last spring's premiere number. According to EW.com, "Survivor" always slips a little with each new season, but this represents a series-low mark.

Though "Idol" was the night's big winner, that's not to say CBS didn't make gains elsewhere. Elisabeth Shue provided "CSI" with a post-Marg Helgenberger gain of 8 percent in ratings, with her first episode being watched by 11.1 million viewers and notching a 2.7 mark. Unfortunately, "Criminal Minds" slipped 9 percent, pulling in 11.8 million viewers and a 3.0 rating.

The CBS-versus-FOX dogfight edged ABC, NBC and The CW into fighting over scraps.

ABC's lineup hit season-low ratings across the board. "The Middle" receive 8.1 million viewers and a 2.5 rating, "Suburgatory" 6.9 million and a 2.4, "Happy Endings" 5.8 million and a 2.5, and "Modern Family" came away the network's biggest winner with 11.2 million viewers and a 4.2 mark. "Revenge" rounded out ABC's night slipping 4 percent to a 2.4 rating, watched by 7.6 million viewers.

Proving that blind squirrels find nuts during the two times a day a broken clock is right, NBC's "Whitney" somehow made a small gain and still won't die in a fire. The anemic sitcom gained 7 percent in ratings up to a 1.6, and was watched by 4.5 million people who couldn't find a perfectly good test pattern at which to stare.

Digest that. It had to rise 7 percent to a 1.6.

"Are You There, Chelsea??" wasn't so lucky. With 3.5 million viewers watching, it sputtered to a 1.4 rating. Still, at least it's not "Rock Center" (3 million viewers, 0.8 rating). Elsewhere, "Law & Order: SVU" received 5.8 million viewers and hit a series-low 1.7, a 15-percent rating decline.

Finally, on The CW, "One Tree Hill" kept limping toward the finish line with 1.4 million viewers and a 0.7 rating.