Nielsens: 'Idol' Falters with Final 4
Last week's "American Idol" finals show got the lowest ratings since Season 2.
May 15, 2008 — -- False note. Fox's "American Idol" drew just 21.8 million viewers for Tuesday's Top 4 performance show, its worst finals performance showing since Season 2 in 2003 and down more than 3 million from the previous week's performance show. Wednesday's results show (22.9 million) was slightly ahead of the previous Wednesday.
Graceful leap. "Dancing With the Stars"' results show Tuesday (18.4 million), the ABC competition's 100th episode, jumped more than 1 million from the previous week. The results show trailed only the two "Idol" episodes.
Helping hands. Monday's "Two and a Half Men" (13.6 million) may have received a boost from its crossover with "CSI," in which each CBS series' writers wrote the others' script. It drew 12.9 million a week earlier. "CSI" (18.1 million), the week's top scripted show, showed a modest jump of fewer than 100,000 viewers vs. its past week.
The tribe speaks softly. "Survivor: Micronesia" earned the title of least-watched finale (13 million) for the long-running CBS competition, trailing last spring's Fiji (13.6 million). The reunion show that followed drew 10.4 million.
Goodbye for now. "30 Rock," NBC's high-buzz, low-rated comedy, drew a lackluster 5.4 million for its Season 2 finale Thursday, matching the previous week's total. "Scrubs" (5.3 million), in its NBC finale (it moves to ABC next season), dropped from the previous week (5.8 million). On the drama front, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" (10.7 million), which closed its second season with Kevin and Scotty's wedding, saw a slight uptick from the previous Sunday (10.5 million).
Indy fever. As the new "Indiana Jones" movie approaches, USA's presentation of the original, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (5.6 million), Saturday was the week's top basic-cable program. Its sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (4.4 million), was the second-highest-rated scripted offering.
Car beats man. Fox's broadcast of NASCAR's Dodge Challenger 500 from Darlington, S.C., pulled in 7.8 million viewers Saturday, zipping past ABC's NBA Celtics vs. Cavaliers game (4.7 million).
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