Primetime Ratings: Fox's 'Touch' Premieres Solid Out of 'Idol'

'Whitney,' 'Are You There, Chelsea?' hit lows

By Lindsay Rubino -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/26/2012 11:50:17 AM

Fox easily led the broadcast nets on Wednesday night with American Idol and the special preview of the new Kiefer Sutherland series Touch, posting an overall 5.2 rating/14 share in the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen overnight ratings.

American Idol was down 30% from last year's second Wednesday airing – a two-hour episide compared to this week's one-hour version – to a 6.4. Week-to-week, Idol was also down 14% from its two-hour premiere. Touch, which officially premieres March 19, netted a strong 3.9 with the Idol lead-in, up 22% over Terra Nova's premiere in Sept. 2011.

CBS was a distant second at an overall 2.9/8. Criminal Minds, following a repeat, was up 13% to a 3.6. At 10 p.m., actress Marg Helgenberger's last episode on CSI drew a 3.3, up 18% over last week and a season high.

NBC's Whitney, down 13%, and Are You There, Chelsea?, down 18%, hit a 1.4 – both series lows. NBC, also airing repeats of Law & Order: SVU, was in fourth at an overall 1.3/4.

 The CW aired a new One Tree Hill, which was steady at a 0.7, and a repeat of new series ReModeled for an overall 0.5./1. ABC, in third, aired all repeats for an overall 1.5/4.