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"Idol" Impales the "Chief"?
President Mackenzie's state of the union is, as President Ford once put it, "not good."
Commander in Chief, checked by House, then further curbed by American Idol, will spend March at Camp David, or wherever it is that White House dramas go when they're not on the air.
Sons & Daughters, a new comedy, will command Commander's 9-10 p.m. Tuesday slot for the month, ABC has confirmed.
Commander, which will air during February sweeps, will return at some unspecified time in the spring to offer up its season's final three episodes, bringing its total to 18, down from the expected 22. Production delays relating to the show's executive producer shakeup last fall, not ratings, have been blamed for the reduced number of episodes.
Commander in Chief, front and center at award shows such as the Golden Globes, where star Geena Davis triumphed, was reupped for a full season by ABC in October. At the time, the series was averaging 16.4 million viewers, tops among its 2005-06 freshman class. Last week, opposite the second hour of Tuesday's American Idol, its approval rating fell to 10.4 million (39th place), per Nielsen Media Research. CBS' Courting Alex (13th place, 14.9 million) now holds the distinction as TV's most-watched new show, albeit after but one airing.
"Obviously, we're disappointed in Commander ticking down the last few weeks," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson told reporters earlier this month.
Commander's troubles began when Fox's House returned from its baseball-imposed October hiatus. At first the two shows ran even, then House slipped past. Then Idol rolled in. Commander lost 1 million viewers in two weeks.
McPherson said he was "hopeful," but "realistic" about the futures of both Commander in Chief and Invasion (42nd place, 9.3 million), which could be called Exodus for all the viewers who tune it out after Lost (seventh place, 19.1 million).
As long as the executive doesn't start talking like President Ford, the shows just might live to see next fall.
Elsewhere in the TV week ended Sunday:
American Idol is so big it's ginormous. Ratings are already up 15 percent over last season--and the competition has yet to get cooking. Tuesday's two-hour Idol (first place, 35 million) scored more young adult viewers aged 18 to 49 for Fox than any other show outside of 2003's Ruben Studdard-Clay Aiken sing off. Wednesday's hourlong Idol (second place, 32.4 million) was nearly as potent.Fox's 24 (16th place, 14.2 million) is up so much in viewers this season to last (15 percent), you'd think Jack Bauer was spending his fifth season trying out for American Idol.
Bad news for the Oscars? Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards on TNT registered its lowest viewer turnout (3 million) since 2000.
CBS' NCIS, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. opposite Idol, doesn't scare. The military-forensic hybrid's holding steady--10th place, 17 million.
Conversely, NBC's Fear Factor (99th place, 4.7 million) isn't putting any scare into the competition.
ABC's Dancing with the Stars is the real addictive thing, hitting a season high 19.4 million viewers (sixth place) for Thursday's competition, and 14 million (18th place) for Friday's Master P elimination round.
Fox's Skating with Celebrities appears to have been a bit of a fad, dropping to 10.9 million viewers (33rd place) without an Idol-sized intro.
Is it redundant for viewers to reject a show called Love Monkey (55th place, 7.7 million)? Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx has a No. 1 album, but a 67th place NBC special, Unpredictable (6.6 million).
One reason the WB is folding: One Tree Hill (125th place, 2.7 million) is what once passed as a hot show.
One reason UPN is folding: Veronica Mars (143rd place, 1.6 million) is what currently passes as a buzz show.
With five of the top 10 shows, not one of which can carry a tune, CBS edged Idol-worshipping Fox as the most watched network, averaging 13.3 million to the latter's 13 million.
Fox easily topped CBS for the crown among 18-to-49-year-old viewers.
ABC (10.8 million) ran third in both races, followed by NBC (8.1 million).
The WB (3.3 million) exercised bragging rights over UPN (2.6 million).
Here's a rundown of the most watched shows for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen Media Research:
1. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox, 35 million viewers
2. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 32.4 million viewers
3. CSI, CBS, 25.9 million viewers
4. Without a Trace, CBS, 22.3 million viewers
5. CSI: Miami, CBS, 19.7 million viewers
6. Dancing with the Stars (Thursday), ABC, 19.4 million viewers
7. Lost, ABC, 19.1 million viewers
8. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 18.4 million viewers
9. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 17.1 million viewers
10. NCIS, CBS, 17 million viewers
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