TV Ratings: 'American Idol' Drops From Wednesday, Gives 'Finder' a Modest Boost

Michael Becker/FOX

A rerun-free Thursday night went to Fox with the season's second outing of American Idol.

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The show dropped 20 percent from its Wednesday premiere, and 28 percent from its first Thursday broadcast last season. Still, it pulled a 5.6 among adults 18-49, making it night's highest rated program. Idol also pushed freshman drama The Finder up 29 percent from its lackluster debut. The series netted a 2.2 rating in the key demo, giving the network an average 3.9 in 18-49-ers for the night and 12.3 million viewers.

CBS nabbed second for the night, grabbing a 3.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 14 million viewers. The Big Bang Theory held steady at a 5.2, tying Idol's first half-hour (fast affiliate numbers originally had Big Bang in the lead). The second episode of Rob scored a 3.6, marking only a 12 percent drop for its handsome premiere. Person of Interest hit a series high in adults 18-49 with a 3.3 rating, followed by a rising Mentalist, which brought in a 2.9 in adults.

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Wipeout, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice were all down from last week, giving ABC a 2.5 rating among 18-49-ers and 7.1 million viewers for the night. Wipeout hit a 1.8 in the demo, while Grey's Anatomy topped all other 9:00 p.m. series with a 3.4 rating. Private Practice tied its season low of 2.1.

On NBC, 30 Rock hit a series low with a 1.6 among adults 18-49, down 11 percent from its season premiere. Parks and Recreation managed to grow 5 percent for a 2.0 in the demo, while The Office remained flat at 2.9 and Up All Night dropped one tenth of a point for a 1.9. The Firm continued to fall, dropping 10 percent from last week and pulling in just a 0.9 in the demo. The network averaged a 1.7 in 18-49-ers for the night, with 4.2 million viewers.

New episodes of The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle were both down for The CW, with TVD earning a 1.1 in adults 18-49 and Circle pulling a 0.7. The duo gave the net a 0.9 showing in adults and 2.2 million viewers.

Thursday, Jan. 19, Overnight Ratings:

8 p.m.
Fox: American Idol (17.7 million viewers, 5.6 rating among adults 18-49)
CBS: The Big Bang Theory (15.9 million, 5.2)
ABC: Wipeout (5.8 million, 1.8)
NBC: 30 Rock (4.1 million, 1.6)
The CW: The Vampire Diaries (2.7 million, 1.1)

8:30 p.m.
CBS: Rob (11.8  million, 3.6)
ABC: Parks and Recreation (4.3 million, 2.0)

9 p.m.
ABC: Grey's Anatomy (9.3 million, 3.4)
CBS: Person of Interest (14.3 million, 3.3)
NBC: The Office (5.98 million, 2.9)
FOX: The Finder (series premiere) (6.8 million, 2.2)
The CW: The Secret Circle (1.7 million, 0.7)

9:30 p.m.
NBC: Up All Night (4.0 million, 1.9)

10 p.m.
CBS: The Mentalist (14 million, 2.9)
ABC: Private Practice (6.1 million, 2.1)
NBC: The Firm (3.4 million, 0.9)