“American Idol,” which has seen some slippage in recent weeks, rebounded as it nears its final sing-off, winning Tuesday night in both the 18-49 demographic (6.7/18) and total viewers (18.7 million). It was up 8 percent from last week and, with “Glee” (4.8/12, 11.7m), helped Fox to win Tuesday night in 18-49 with a 5.7/15, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.
Overall viewership was up, and Tuesday was a great night for CBS, as all three of its Tuesday primetime hours saw week-to-week growth and delivered their best ratings since March. CBS won the night in total viewers with 15.3 million, followed closely by Fox with 15.2 million.
And at 9 p.m. on ABC, “Lost” (4.0/10, 10.2m) was up for the third straight week, marking its most-watched broadcast since February, as it hurtles headlong to its May 23 finale.
JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH 'NCIS': The original “NCIS” (3.8/10 in the 18-49 demographic,16.9 million total viewers) at 8 p.m. finished a close second to “American Idol” in total viewers. At 9 p.m., “NCIS: Los Angeles” (3.3/8, 15.9m) had the night's second-highest total viewership.
STAYING UP LATER: At 10 p.m., ABC's bubble show “V” (2.4/6, 6m) was the key gainer, up 14 percent from last week too better its chances of renewal. CBS' “The Good Wife” (2.5/7, 12.9m) more than doubled the total viewers of both “V” and NBC's “Parenthood” (2.6/7, 5.9m), although all three were up in 18-49 from last week, “Good Wife” by 9 percent and “Parenthood” by 4 percent.
REALITY BATTLE: ABC's “Dancing With the Stars” (2.5/7, 12.4m) results show, which saw Niecy Nash take her final bow, had its best number in the key demo in four weeks. The 8 p.m. hour was the battle of the reality heavyweights, with “Idol” leading the way and “DWTS” handily beating NBC's “The Biggest Loser” (3.4/9, 8.4m). However, “Loser” was up 6 percent week-to-week, matching its best score of the past three months.
