On a night where Idol faced real competition, FOX bested NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Idol averaged a very strong 9.1 (18-49) rating between 8-10pm, beating out NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, which averaged a 5.4 (18-49) rating and just over 20 million viewers.

ABC took third with a night heavily influenced by LOST, starting with a rerun which pulled a 1.5 (18-49) rating at 8pm. An original episode then pulled a solid (considering the competition) 4.5 (18-49) rating at 9pm leading into a pretty average episode of the forgotten (1.7, 5.05 million viewers)

CBS was in reruns last night, averaging a 1.8 (18-49) rating with episodes of NCIS, NCIS:LA and The Good Wife. The CW was also in reruns, averaging just a 0.4 (18-49) rating and under one million viewers for the night. 

Full Breakdown: 

8:00 – FOX – American Idol (8-10pm) - 9.1 (18-49) rating - 23.6 million viewers
NBC – Vancouver Winter Olympics (8-11pm) - 5.4 - 20.4 million
CBS – NCIS (R) – 2.3 -11.6 million
ABC – Lost (R) – 1.5 - 4.2 million
CW – 90210 (R) – 0.4 - 0.9 million

9:00 – ABC – Lost – 4.5 (18-49) rating - 9.8 million viewers
CBS – NCIS: Los Angeles (R) – 1.8 - 9.1 million
CW – Melrose Place (R) – 0.4 - 0.8 million

10:00 – ABC – The Forgotten – 1.7 - 5.1 million
CBS – The Good Wife (R) – 1.4 - 7.8 million

On a night with a sure fire American Idol win, ABC’s comedies and Criminal Minds were also strong.

American Idol led FOX to victory last night, posting a 9.8 rating and 26.7 million viewers – still holding very strong vs. last year. At 9, the second episode of Human Target was roughly level with last nights pilot repeat posting a 3.4 (18-49) rating and 10.4 million viewers.

CBS was second for the night, starting off with a weak Old Christine (1.9, 6.5 million) and equally weak Gary Unmarried (1.9, 6.2 million). Criminal Minds was the nights second strongest show, posting a 4.3 (18-49) rating and 15.3 million viewers. At 10, CSI: NY was solid with a 3.7 rating and 13.9 million viewers.

ABC was third with a mixture of reruns and originals. At 8, a Modern Family rerun posted a 1.6 (18-49) rating leading into a rerun of The Middle, which posted a 1.7 rating and 4.7 million viewers. At 9, a new episode of Modern Family posted a very strong 4.1 (18-49) rating and 9.8 million viewers leading into a new Cougar Town, which posted a 3.4 (18-49) rating and 7.6 million viewers – up vs. last weeks 3.1. At 10, Ugly Betty was level with last weeks 1.6 rating and 4.6 million viewers.

Fourth was NBC, which went with a new episode of Mercy at 8, drawing 5.8 million viewers and a 1.4 (18-49) rating. A rerun of Law & Order: SVU was fourth in the 9pm hour, posting a 1.4 rating and 5.6 million viewers – it just can’t wait to get back to 10pm. The Jay Leno Show was poor last night, posting just a 1.2 (18-49) rating and 4.6 million viewers.

The CW was in reruns last night, with a second airing of new show Life UneXpected posting a 0.7 (18-49) rating and 1.7 million viewers (Better than the last original airing of Melrose Place). A Gossip Girl rerun posted a 0.4 rating and 0.8 million viewers at 9pm.

Full Breakdown:

8:00 – FOX – American Idol – 9.8 (18-49) rating - 26.7 million viewers
CBS – New Adventures of Old Christine – 1.9 - 6.5 million
ABC – Modern Family (R) – 1.6 - 5.1 million
NBC – Mercy – 1.4 - 5.8 million
CW – Life Unexpected (R) – 0.7 - 1.7 million

8:30 – CBS – Gary Unmarried – 1.9 (18-49) rating - 6.2 million
ABC – The Middle (R) – 1.7 - 4.7 million

9:00 – CBS – Criminal Minds – 4.3 (18-49) rating - 15.3 million viewers
ABC – Modern Family – 4.1 - 9.8 million
FOX – Human Target – 3.4 - 10.4 million
NBC – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (R) – 1.4 - 5.6 million
CW – Gossip Girl (R) – 0.4 - 0.8 million

9:30 – ABC – Cougar Town – 3.4 (18-49) rating - 7.6 million

10:00 – CBS – CSI: NY – 3.7 (18-49) rating - 13.9 million
ABC – Ugly Betty – 1.6 - 4.6 million
NBC – The Jay Leno Show – 1.2 - 4.6 million

On a night that was sure to be won by American Idol, it was The Biggest Loser that gained the most…

FOX won the night with American Idol at 8, posting a solid 10.0 rating and 26 million viewers – up vs. the same episode last year. A rerun of the Human Target premiere was up vs. the first airing on Sunday, posting a 3.4 (18-49) rating and 9.1 million viewers.

NBC was second for the night with two hours of The Biggest Loser, which posted an average 4.1 (18-49) rating and 10 million viewers. At 10, one of the last episodes of The Jay Leno Show was solid with a 2.0 (18-49) rating and 6.3 million viewers.

CBS took third with reruns of NCIS (2.5, 14 million), NCIS: LA (2.5, 12.3 million) and The Good Wife (2.0, 9.6 million), beating out ABC. The alphabet went with reruns of Scrubs (0.8, 2.7 million) and Better Off Ted (0.6, 2 million) at 8pm – good enough for fourth place. Original episodes of Scrubs and Better Off Ted weren’t much better at 9, although still outdrew a rerun of the forgotten. (1.1, 3.7 million)

The CW was last for the night with a rerun of 90210 at 8, posting a 0.4 (18-49) rating and 0.8 million viewers. At 9, a Melrose Place rerun fell into the ‘was it worth it category, posting just a 0.2 rating and 0.7 million viewers.

Full Breakdown:

8:00 – FOX – American Idol - 10.0 (18-49) rating - 26.0 million viewers
NBC – The Biggest Loser – 3.4 - 8.6 million
CBS – NCIS (repeat) 2.5 - 14.0 million
ABC – Scrubs (repeat) – 0.8 - 2.7 million
CW – 90210 (repeat) - 0.4 - 0.8 million

8:30 – ABC – Better Off Ted (repeat) – 0.6 - 2.0 million

9:00 – NBC – The Biggest Loser – 4.7 (18-49) rating - 11.3 million viewers
FOX – Human Target (repeat) – 3.4 - 9.1 million
CBS – NCIS: LA (repeat) – 2.5 - 12.3 million
ABC – Scrubs – 1.4 - 3.3 million
CW – Melrose Place (repeat) – 0.2 - 0.7 million

9:30 – ABC – Better Off Ted – 1.3 - 3.2 million

10:00 – NBC – The Jay Leno Show – 2.1 (18-49) rating – 6.3 million viewers
CBS – The Good Wife (repeat) – 2.0 - 9.6 million
ABC – the forgotten (repeat) – 1.1 - 3.7 million

On a night with no new House but the return of 24 to Monday nights, it was How I Met Your Mother that took advantage – hitting season highs in the process.

CBS had a solid Monday night (as usual) with How I Met Your Mother (4.0, 10.5 million) and Accidentally on Purpose (3.5, 9.6 million) hitting season and series highs in their respective timeslots. At 9, Two and a Half Men (5.3, 16.2 million) beat The Big Bang Theory (5.2, 15 million) for the first time in quite a while. CSI: Miami was steady with last week with a 3.6 (18-49) rating and 13.2 million viewers.

ABC came second with two episodes of The Bachelor, posting an average 3.8 and 10.6 million viewers – down slightly vs. last weeks premiere. At 10, Castle continued to improve, posting a 2.8 (18-49) rating and 9.4 million viewers.

24 had its timeslot premiere last night, posting a 3.5 (18-49) rating between 8-10 – good enough for third place for FOX.

NBC went with a brand new Chuck at 8, posting a 2.5 rating and 6.7 million viewers – down .2 in the key demos and over half a million viewers from last week. At 9, Heroes continued with their rapid decline, posting just a 1.8 (18-49) rating and just 3.9 million viewers. At 10 – in what’s rumoured to be one of the very last – Jay Leno Show posted just a 1.3 rating and 4.6 million viewers.

The CW was back in originals last night, with One Tree Hill posting a 1.1 (18-49) rating and 2.2 million viewers leading into the premiere of Life UneXpected, which posted a solid 1.2 (18-49) rating and 2.7 million viewers in its first outing.

Full Breakdown:

8:00 – CBS – How I Met Your Mother – 4.0 (18-49) rating - 10.5 million viewers
ABC – The Bachelor: On The Wings of Love – 3.6 - 10.1 million
FOX – 24 – 3.3 - 10.6 million
NBC – Chuck – 2.5 - 6.7 million
CW – One Tree Hill – 1.1 - 2.2 million

8:30 – CBS – Accidentally on Purpose – 3.5 (18-49) rating - 9.6 million

9:00 – CBS – Two and a Half Men – 5.3 (18-49) rating - 16.2 million viewers
ABC – The Bachelor: On The Wings of Love – 4.1 - 11.1 million
FOX – 24 – 3.6 - 11.5 million
NBC – Heroes – 1.8 - 3.9 million
CW – Life Unexpected – 1.2 - 2.7 million

9:30 – CBS – The Big Bang Theory – 5.2 (18-49) rating - 15.0 million viewers

10:00 – CBS – CSI: Miami – 3.6 (18-49) rating - 13.2 million viewers
ABC – Castle – 2.8 - 9.4 million
NBC - The Jay Leno Show – 1.3 - 4.6 million

On a night with the return of Jack Bauer and the premiere of Human Target, it was CBS’ NFL coverage that led the eye to victory.

CBS’ coverage of the Jets/Chargers game averaged a solid 11.3 (18-49) rating and 34.1 million viewers at 7, beating out NBC’s red carpet coverage of the Golden Globes, which pulled just a 2.4 (18-49) rating and 9.4 million viewers. America’s Funniest Home Videos was fourth wtih a 1.7 (18-49) rating, beating out a rerun of last seasons 24 finale, which drew just 3.7 million viewers and a 1.2 (18-49) rating.

NBC’s Golden Globes coverage then kicked in, dominating the rest of the night for the peacock, averaging a 4.7 (18-49) rating and just under 14 million viewers.

FOX had the series premiere of Human Target last night, pulling a 2.9 (18-49) rating and 10.1 million viewers – a solid start (and it grew over the hour). 24 then returned with a two-hour season premiere, pulling a 3.9 (18-49) rating and 11.4 million viewers – down over 10% from last seasons opener.

ABC went with reruns and then a brand new Desperate Housewives, which fell to just a 3.7 (18-49) rating and 11.2 million viewers – a season low. Brothers and Sisters was also well down, posting a 2.7 rating and 8.1 million viewers.

CBS went with 60 minutes at 8 (which had the NFL lead-in), posting a very solid 4.5 (18-49) rating and 16.5 million viewers. At 9, Cold Case was up vs. its season average, posting a 2.5 (18-49) rating and 10.7 million viewers.

Full Breakdown

7:00 – CBS - NY Jets v. San Diego – 11.3 (18-49) rating - 34.1 million viewers
NBC – 2010 Golden Globe Red Carpet – 2.4 - 9.4 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos – 1.7 - 7.3 million
FOX – 24 (R) – 1.2 - 3.7 million 

8:00 - NBC – 67th Golden Globe Awards (8-11pm) – 4.7 (18-49) rating – 14 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes - 4.5 – 16.5 million
FOX – Human Target (premiere) – 2.9 - 10.1 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (repeat) – 1.8 – 6.4 million

9:00 – FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 (18-49) rating - 11.5 million viewers
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 3.7 - 11.2 million
CBS – Cold Case - 2.5 - 10.7 million

10:00 - FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 - 11.3 million
ABC – Brothers & Sisters – 2.7 – 8.1 million
CBS – NCIS (repeat) – 2.1 - 9.5 million

Again a slow Saturday night for most networks except CBS – who were airing the highly anticipated Ravens vs. Colts Divisional game.

The Ravens/Colts game won the night easily for CBS, averaging a 9.6  (18-49) rating and 27.5 million viewers. Second best for the night was FOX’s COPS (2.5, 7.1 million) which was helped by a slight NFL overrun. Third was again FOX with America’s Most Wanted, which averaged a 2.2  (18-49) rating and 6.1 million viewers.

Full Breakdown:

8:00pm - CBS – Ravens vs. Colts (8-11pm) – 9.6 (18-49) rating - 27.5 million viewers
FOX – Cops (8-9pm) 2.5 - 7.1 million
ABC – Grey’s Anatomy (R) – 0.6 - 1.9 million
NBC – Mercy (R) – 0.4 - 2.0 million

9:00pm – FOX – America’s Most Wanted – 2.2  (18-49) rating - 6.1 million
NBC – Law & Order (R) – 0.8 - 4 million
ABC – Private Practice (R) – 0.6 – 2.0 million

10:00pm – NBC – Law & Order: SVU (R) – 1.3  (18-49) rating – 5.4 million viewers
ABC – Castle (R) – 0.7 - 3.0 million

Last night ABC were the winners with the Greys Anatomy/Private Practice crossover, Bones set season highs and 30 Rock was beaten by Community.

ABC won the night starting off with an ABC News special on the Haiti Earthquake (1.4, 5.4 million). This lead into a Grey’s Anatomy/ Private Practice crossover event which averaged 11.9 million viewers and a 4.5 (18-49) rating.

FOX and CBS tied for second place but I’m gonna lead with FOX first because they generally have a better 18-34 rating. At 8pm, Bones set season highs, posting a 3.3 (18-49) rating and 10.7 million viewers – a season high. At 9, Fringe posted its best numbers (in that timeslot) in a while against less competition (notably missing: The Office), posting a 2.6 (18-49) rating and 6.6 million viewers.

CBS was third for the night with an original episode of CSI, which posted a 3.3 (18-49) rating and 15.4 million viewers. At 10, The Mentalist improved on its lead in (in the key demo) with a 3.4 (18-49) rating but had slightly less viewers (15.3 million).

NBC was horrible, posting its worst night for a while (with all new airings). At 8, Community continued to grow, posting a 2.3 (18-49) rating and 5.4 million viewers leading in to Parks & Recreation, which posted an average 2.1 (18-49) rating and 4.6 million viewers. At 9, 30 Rock showed us why it needs the office as a lead in – a 2.3 (18-49) rating and just 5.1 million viewers (yep, that’s right – 30 Rock was beaten by Community last night). At 10, Leno (and Jimmy Kimmel reading the 10 @ 10) posted an average 1.3 (18-49) rating and 4.4 million viewers.

The CW was last, wanna know any more?

Full Breakdown:

8:00 – FOX – Bones – 3.3 (18-49) rating – 10.7 million viewers
NBC – Community – 2.3 - 5.418 million
CBS – The Mentalist (repeat) - 2.0 - 9.6 million
ABC – Haiti News Special – 1.4 - 5.4 million
CW – Vampire Diaries (repeat) – 0.7 - 1.7 million

8:30 - NBC Parks and Recreation 2.1 6 4.593

9:00 – ABC - Grey’s Anatomy – 4.8 (18-49) rating - 12.7 million viewers
CBS – CSI – 3.3 – 15.4 million
FOX – Fringe – 2.6 - 6.7 million
NBC – 30 Rock – 2.3 - 5.1 million
CW – Supernatural (repeat) – 0.6 - 1.3 million

9:30 – NBC – 30 Rock – 2.3 - 5.0 million viewers

10:00 – ABC – Private Practice – 4.3 (18-49) rating – 11 million viewers
CBS – The Mentalist – 3.4 - 15.3 million
NBC – The Jay Leno Show – 1.4 - 4.4 million

American Idol won the night for FOX last night and in doing so forced all other shows to slip except – unexpectedly – Cougar Town, which was at its season-to-date average.

Idol posted a 10.1 (18-49) rating last night between 8-9.30, down almost 15% from yesterdays 11.7. The show also lost 3 million viewers, taking its total to 26.4 million. At 9.30, a rerun of The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special was shown, pulling a 3.6 rating and 8.1 million viewers.

CBS took a hit in the 8pm timeslot last night, with Gary Unmarried and The New Adventures of Old Christine averaging just a 1.9 rating and 6 million viewers – well down from the last new episode. At 9, Criminal Minds continued to perform well with a 3.9 (18-49) rating and 14 million viewers. CSI:NY performed better than its season-to-date average, posting a 3.6 (18-49) rating and 14.1 million viewers.

ABC was another network that was affected heavily by Idol, with The Middle posting just a 2.1 (18-49) rating and 6.1 million viewers. Modern Family was probably the most affected though, losing almost 25% in the key demo with just a 3.2 (18-49) rating and almost 20% in viewers, where it drew 7.6 million. Cougar Town was reasonably unaffected though, staying with its season average – a 3.1 (18-49) rating and 7.4 million viewers. Ugly Betty was steady with last weeks Wednesday night premiere, pulling a 1.6 (18-49) rating and 4.5 million viewers.

NBC has a less than stellar night too, with Mercy pulling just a 1.5 (18-49) rating and 5.9 million viewers (why did they pick up extra episodes of this again?). Law & Order: SVU posted a miserable 2.0 (18-49) rating and 7.7 million viewers – I think this will be the show that’ll improve most when moved back to 10pm. The Jay Leno Show was average – posting a 1.6 rating and 5.4 million viewers.

The CW went with something, I don’t really care though.

Full Breakdown:

8.00pm – FOX – American Idol (8-9.30pm) – 10.1 (18-49) rating – 26.4 million viewers
ABC – The Middle – 2.1 – 6.1 million
CBS – The New Adventures of Old Christine – 1.9 – 6.2 million
NBC – Mercy – 1.5 – 5.9 million

8.30pm – CBS – Gary Unmarried – 1.9 (18-49 rating) – 5.8 million viewers

9.00pm – CBS – Criminal Minds – 3.9 (18-49 rating) – 14 million viewers
ABC – Modern Family – 3.2 – 7.6 million
NBC – Law & Order: SVU – 2.0 – 7.7 million

9.30pm - FOX – The Simpsons – 3.6 (18-49 rating) – 8.1 million viewers
ABC – Cougar Town – 3.1 – 7.4 million viewers

10 pm – CBS – CSI: NY – 3.6 (18-49 rating) – 14.1 million viewers
NBC – The Jay Leno Show - 1.6 – 5.4 million
ABC – Ugly Betty – 1.6 – 4.5 million

The big story of the night was the return of American Idol (sans Paula) and how well NCIS fared at 8pm.

American Idol opened its 9th season with very solid (and almost identical) ratings, pulling an 11.7 (18-49) rating between 8-10pm and averaging 29.8 million viewers. Versus last year this was just a tick down in the key demo (0.1) and just a small drop in audience size (just 200,000 viewers)

NCIS performed roughly level with its last new airing, remarkably pulling a 4.3 (18-49) rating and 20.7 million viewers against way stiffer competition. It was NCIS: LA that was really affected by Idol’s return, pulling just a 3.0 (18-49) rating and 15.5 million viewers – a season low. Good news for The Good Wife though, which was up in the key demo (3.0 vs. 2.8) and in total viewers (13.9 vs. 13.4).

As usual, NBC’s The Biggest Loser was solid against heavy competition, pulling a 3.3 rating and 8.2 million viewers between 8 and 10pm. Leno (and the late night controversy) were up again to a 1.9 rating and 6.2 million viewers.

ABC opened the night with reruns of Scrubs (0.8, 2.5 million) and Better Off Ted (0.8, 2.2), both of which are surely dead. New episodes the the shows returned at 9, with Scrubs posting a 1.2 (18-49) rating and Better Off Ted pulling just a 1.0. the forgotton was again sub par, pulling just a 1.3 (18-49) rating and 4.4 million – why did they pick up additional episodes?

The CW went with repeats of 90210 and Melrose Place which averaged a 0.3 (18-49) rating and 0.7 million viewers overall.

Full Breakdown:

8:00 – FOX – American Idol (premiere) – 10.8 (18-49) rating – 27.9 million viewers
CBS – NCIS – 4.3 - 20.7 million
NBC – The Biggest Loser – 3.1 – 7.9 million
ABC – Scrubs (repeat) - 0.8 - 2.5 million
CW – 90210 (repeat) – 0.3 - 0.8 million

8:30 – ABC – Better Off Ted – 0.8 - 2.2 million

9:00 FOX American Idol (premiere) 12.7 (18-49) rating - 31.7 million viewers
NBC – The Biggest Loser – 3.4 -  8.3 million
CBS – NCIS: LA – 3.0 – 15.5 million
ABC – Scrubs – 1.2 - 2.7 million
CW – Melrose Place (repeat) – 0.3 - 0.7 million

9:30 – ABC – Better Off Ted – 1.0 -  2.5 million

10:00 – CBS – The Good Wife – 3.0 (18-49) rating - 13.9 million viewers
NBC – The Jay Leno Show - 1.9 – 6.2 million
ABC - the forgotten – 1.3 - 4.4 million