Primetime Ratings: Fox Rides American Idol to Win

Hell's Kitchen Also a Strong Performer for Network on Tuesday Night

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/9/2008 12:23:00 PM

Fox won the ratings race Tuesday in the 18-49 demo with a 7.2 rating/18 share.

The story line was familiar: American Idol ruled at an 8.9/24, down from its double-digit performances in earlier seasons but still the biggest draw among TV's regular series. Hell's Kitchen also caught fire with a 5.4/13 from 9 p.m.-10 p.m.

NBC was second with a 3.4/9 thanks to a strong outing from The Biggest Loser (4.3/10) from 9 p.m.-10 p.m., with the two-hour show growing significantly from its first hour (2.9/8), when it was up against Idol.

ABC was third with a 2.5/6 led by the results show for Dancing with the Stars (3.5/9) from 9 p.m.-10 p.m., which was only good enough for third place in the time period as viewers bid goodbye to Adam Corolla. The return of Boston Legal came in second from 10 p.m.-11 p.m. with a 2.3/7, although it lost out to a repeat of Law & Order on NBC.

CBS was fourth with a 2.3/6, with Big Brother managing only a 2.4/6 for fourth place from 9 p.m.-10 p.m. Its best performer was NCIS at a 2.9/8, while few people seemed interested in checking out the Secret Talents of the Stars (1.5/4), CBS' new reality competition from 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

The CW was fifth with a 0.7/2 led by Beauty & the Geek with a 0.8/2 from 8 p.m.-9 p.m.