Charlie Sheen Gives ABC’s 20/20 Best Ratings in More Than Two Years

Fox prevailed on Tuesday with a special off-night 90-minute installment of American Idol, garnering a 7.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 21.3 million viewers overall from 8-9:30 p.m. 

That special edition of Idol, which featured the top 10 boys competing, was down 9 percent in the demo and 7 percent in total viewers versus the comparable telecast last season. But it nevertheless gave Tuesday comedy Raising Hope a hefty lead-in helping the show to a 3.4 rating with 8.7 million viewers to edge out CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles to win its 9:30 p.m. half-hour in head-to-head competition.   Overall, CBS was second (3.1, 15.3 million) with NCIS (3.8, 19.1 million) and NCIS: LA (3.2, 15.5 million) coming in second against competition from Idol.   NBC’s Biggest Loser Couples was down 11 percent to a 2.4 rating (with 7.0 million viewers). But it was still enough to propel the network past ABC from 8-10 p.m. In fact, ABC’s No Ordinary Family (1.2, 4.2 million) tumbled 14 percent week-to-week to hit a new series low while V (1.8, 5 million) was down 5 percent.    But things picked up for ABC at 10 p.m. Indeed, if tune-in for the network’s long-awaited Charlie Sheen interview is any indication, America has yet to get their fill of the garrulous Two and a Half Men star. A special all-Sheen edition of ABC News’ 20/20 won the 10 p.m. hour averaging a 3.2 rating with 9.2 million viewers overall. It was the best performance for 20/20 in more than two years (since 2/13/09 for Diane Sawyer’s Peabody-winning special on the children of Appalachia).