Really, it may not be Sanjaya's fault. It could be Washington D.C.'s.

Whoever the culprit, American Idol's ratings are doing something that American Idol ratings just don't do: slip.

In a press conference Monday, Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said Daylight Savings Time, which, per federal mandate began three weeks earlier than usual this year, is most likely behind the downward trend. Networks routinely blame the time change for encouraging viewers to stay outside in the sunlight, as opposed to sitting parked in front of their TVs.

But the Idol singers, whose ranks have included the much maligned Sanjaya Malakar and the much praised Melinda Doolittle, were not entirely acquitted. 

"To be honest about it, people are saying this is not our greatest year for talent," Lythgoe said. "I don't necessarily agree with them...[But] if it is a bad year for talent—and we'll find out over the next few weeks—then we always do watch a ratings drop of between 3-4 percent."

Or maybe more.

Compared to last season, the Tuesday performance shows are down about 3 million viewers, or 10 percent, through the first two weeks of the finals, Nielsen Media Research stats show. The Wednesday results shows are about 1.3 million viewers lighter, a drop of 5 percent.

Lythgoe, for one, isn't worried.

"Even if we lost 50 percent of our audience, we'd still be in the top three shows in the country," Lythgoe said.

Lythgoe is thematically, if not statistically, correct. Even a slightly smaller Idol is bigger than anything else around. 

Last Tuesday's "British Invasion" show, harnessing the star power of a guy from oldies-music infomercials, a middle-aged lady named Lulu and a little crying girl, dazzled more than 30 million, and took its usual spot atop the latest Nielsen rankings.

Wednesday's show, featuring more oldies-music guy, more Lulu and the exit of Stephanie Edwards, was hardly ignored: 27.1 million viewers (second place).

Said Lythgoe: "I would just like to watch all the other networks thinking, 'God, I'd like our ratings to go down as badly as that.' "

Up next for Idol: Gwen Stefani stops by.

Take that, Daylight Savings Time.

Elsewhere, here are some ratings highlights from the TV week ended Sunday:

• Fox's 'Til Death (eighth place, 14.9 million) is the new hit show of the season. As long as you don't count all those weeks it didn't air after Wednesday's Idol.
• Locke revelations or no, ABC's Lost (16th place, 12.2 million) is what it is: a top 20 show for which the Top 10 seems a distant memory and a second-place show on Wednesdays to CBS' CSI: NY (11th place, 13.6 million).
• In a Sunday-night battle for the soul of the democracy, CBS' 60 Minutes (14th place, 12.6 million), featuring an interview with presidential candidate John Edwards and cancer-battling wife Elizabeth, prevailed over ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos (34th place, 8.4 million).
• Given the Miss USA pageant's worst-ever performance (44th place, 7.4 million), the Tara Conner news cycle peaked about three months too soon for NBC.
• Among new Thursday shows, NBC's Raines (33rd place, 8.7 million) was down from its premiere, but ABC's October Road (20th place, 11.5 million) was down more.
• Judging by the flat finale of Grease: You're the One That I Want (47th place, 6.9 million), NBC might as well have aired Les Miz: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.
• Judging by the flailing performance of The Black Donnellys (68th place, 5.5 million), NBC might as well have kept airing Studio 60.
• If ABC had aired nothing on Saturday at 8 p.m., nothing would have lost out to the Celebrity Debut special (113th place) by only about 2.7 million viewers.
• Quarterback Peyton Manning led Saturday Night Live to its highest ratings of the season, according to NBC.  
• In cable, the planet Earth, as seen on the Discovery Channel's new miniseries, Planet Earth (an average of 5.73 million viewers for back-to-back-to-back Sunday episodes), pulled rank on pro wrestling, as seen on USA's WWE Entertainment (4.5 million viewers).  
• Other cable winners: ABC Family's premiere of the latest made-for-DVD Bring It On sequel, Bring It On: All or Nothing (4.8 million); VH1's penultimate I Love New York (4.2 million); and, USA's Sunday House marathon.

Overall, CBS scored more viewers than any network (11.4 million) because of its crime dramas, while Fox (11.2 million) scored more young-adult viewers than any network because of Idol.

ABC (9 million) moved up to third in both races because Dancing with the Stars (third place, 21.8 million) picked up where it left off, but it moved no higher than third because Six Degrees (85th place, 4.4 million) likewise picked up where it left off.

NBC (7.4 million) ran fourth because the NFL won't put its employees on a year-round work schedule.

The CW (3.1 million) did its thing because America's Next Top Model (76th place, 5 million) did its thing.

Here's a look at the 10 most watched prime-time shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox, 30 million
2. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 27.1 million
3. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 22.3 million
4. Dancing with the Stars, ABC, 21.8 million
5. CSI: Miami, CBS, 17.7 million
6. NCIS, CBS, 15.7 million
7. Criminal Minds, CBS, 15.2 million
8. Til Death, Fox, 14.9 million
9. Deal or No Deal (Monday), NBC, 14.2 million
10. Cold Case, CBS, 13.9 million