Fox’s ‘Traffic Light’ Up 75% With ‘American Idol’ Lead-In

UPDATED: It’s the same old story: The latest 90-minute edition of Fox’s American Idol helped the network win the night. But, it wasn’t all about Idol.

CBS improved with Survivor and back-to-back episodes from the Criminal Minds franchise. Survivor: Redemption Island (11.3 million, 3.3) saw an uptick of 6 percent. At 9 p.m., Criminal Minds (14.4 million, 3.6) was the night’s most-watched scripted program, up in total viewers and in the demo. Its offshoot, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (10.4 million, 2.6) reached double digits again in tune-in, after slipping last week.

Most of ABC’s lineup either tied a low or was flat, with the exception of Mr. Sunshine (6.9 million, 2.4), which increased 9 percent. The Middle (7.9 million, 2.3) and Modern Family (10.1 million, 4.1) both tied season lows, with struggling freshman comedy Better With You (5.7 million, 1.7) tying a series low. With two regulars landing roles on other pilots, it’s harder to believe Off the Map (5 million, 1.7) will be returning for a second season.

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Idol drew 22.8 million, retaining its total viewers from the previous week, and averaging a 7.8 rating in the demo, a 97 percent retention from the last week’s two-hour telecast. Its lead-out, half-hour comedy, Traffic Light (7.3 million, 2.8), was up 75 percent versus last Tuesday’s broadcast. Clearly, the Idol lead-in didn’t hurt.

NBC’s reality competition series Minute to Win It (3.5 million, 1.0) at 9 p.m. tied a low in the demo. A Law & Order: SVU repeat followed.

The latest episode of the CW’s America’s Next Top Model (2 million, 0.9) and Shedding for the Wedding (1.1 million, 0.4) were both down a few tenths in the demo.

Fox was the top network Wednesday, averaging 18.8 million viewers and a 6.5 rating. CBS placed second, with a 12 million average and a 3.2. ABC snagged third place, averaging 6.9 million and a 2.3. NBC (4.1 million, 1.2) and the CW (1.6 million, 0.7) followed.