'Block' flops; 'Idol' surges; 'Lie' solid in new slot

UPDATED: "Lie to Me" proved it could open a night Wednesday when Fox swapped the crime drama with "American Idol."

Shifted back an hour to 8 p.m., "Lie" (11.3 million, 3.4 national adults 18-49 rating and 10 share) was down 8% in the adult demo and up 9% in total viewers from last week's "Idol"-fueled episode. "Lie" has slipped overall in recent weeks, but last night proved it could stand on its own without 20-plus million viewers being fed into its time period.

"Lie" faced NBC's new cooking competition series "Chopping Block" (3.8 million, 1.4/4), which was the lowest-rated major network series premiere this season (unless you count Saturday nights, which had CBS' "Game Show in My Head"). "Block" went into the former "Knight Rider" slot and performed about 20% lower than the action drama's average.

At 9 p.m., "Idol" (25.6 million, 9.1/23) surged 17% from last week, boosted by guest performances by Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West -- though ABC's "Lost" airing a repeat last night likely helped too. This is the second night in a row that "Idol" has reversed its usual mid-run ratings shrinkage.

Second-place CBS was back in originals for the first time in weeks, and every show was higher than its previous performance. There was "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (7.5 million, 2.1/6) and "Gary Unmarried" (7.6 million, 2.3/7), both posting double digit gains from their previous episodes, then "Criminal Minds" (14.3 million, 3.6/9) and hour-winning "CSI: NY" (13.6 million, 3.5/10).

NBC was third, with "Life" (5.2 million, 1.7/4) and "Law & Order" (7.6 million, 2.2.6) following "Chopping Block." ABC was fourth with repeats and "Life on Mars" (4.5 million, 1.4/4). The CW was fifth with "America's Next Top Model" (4.5 million, 1.9/6), climbing 6% in the demo from its premiere last week and 15% in viewers.

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Thoughts on NBC's "Chopping Block"