ABC's Elisha Cuthbert comedy "Happy Endings" showed the biggest week-to-week gain on Wednesday during an evening that was nonetheless topped by Fox's reliable ratings winner "American Idol," according to preliminary numbers.
The "Idol" performance episode at 8 p.m. grabbed the number-one slot for Fox, with a 6.9 rating/19 share in the adults 18-49 demo and 21.6 million total viewers. "Breaking In" at 9:30 enjoyed a 4 percent uptick in the demo with a 2.6/6 and 7.6 million total viewers.
ABC's evening was a mixed bag ratings-wise, with a repeat of "The Middle" at 8 taking a 1.4/4 in the demo and 5.1 million total viewers. "Better With You," which benefited significantly from a post-"Dancing With the Stars" airing on Monday night, was back in its regular time slot at 8:30, and down 6 percent in the demo from last Wednesday's performance, with a 1.5/4 and 4.8 million total viewers. A "Modern Family" repeat at 9 garnered a 2.0/5 in the demo and 6 million total viewers, while "Cougar Town" took a 2.1/5 in the demo and 5.6 million total viewers. "Happy Endings," which premiered in mid-April to encouraging numbers, experienced a 17 percent surge compared to last week's numbers at 10, snagging a 2.1/5 in the demo and 5.2 million total viewers. A "Modern Family" repeat closed the night at 10:30 with a 1.7/4 in the demo and 4.4 million total viewers.
CBS started the night with "Survivor: Redemption Island" at 8, which grabbed the evening's second-highest ratings with a 3.0/9 in the demo and 10.8 million total viewers. A "Criminal Minds" repeat the following hour took a 2.1/5 in the demo and 9.1 million total viewers, while "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" at 10 had a 1.7/4 in the demo and 7.4 million total viewers.
The NBC News special, "Inside the Royal Wedding," at 8, had a 1.2/3 in the demo and 5.2 million total viewers, An encore airing of the premiere of "The Voice" at 9 held about half the audience of Tuesday night's original airing — when it made a most impressive bow by beating "Dancing With the Stars" and "Glee." On Wednesday it had a 2.1/5 in the demo and 6 million total viewers.