Fringe Couldn't Wait for Hollywood Week, Either

Sci-fi thriller posts strong Tuesday in post-American Idol time slot; The Biggest Loser keeps living large

By Joal Ryan Feb 04, 2009 6:10 PMTags
Joshua Jackson, FringeEric Leibowitz/FOX

Tuesday TV's Winners, Besides American Idol: Fringe (13 million viewers, Nielsen estimates showed, up about 1.5 million from last week) did well by, or because of, its Idol lead-in. The Biggest Loser (10.5 million) hung in against Idol, then outdrew Fringe in each show's last half-hour.

American Idol Watch: Up from last week—26.3 million Hollywood-week viewers versus 25.5 million bad-audition connoisseurs.

Etc.: 90210 (2.4 million) scored its biggest night yet opposite Idol, the CW said. Scrubs (4.8 million for back-to-back episodes) fell out of favor with young women. Privileged (1.7 million) did better with senior citizens than teenage boys.