American Idol Numbers Down
January 16, 2008

Didn't we all see this coming? Even with the strike, the shine seems to be off the star of American Idol and, while the opening was big, it wasn't as big as last year, showing that the Fox phenomenon may actually be coming back to Earth. The seventh-season opener of American Idol, which was a two-hour episode last night, averaged 33.2 million viewers, which is an insane number that's even bigger than last weekend's football games and more than any other entertainment show this season, BUT it is less than the season six opener, which should be a surprise considering the lack of anything else new on the air.

And it wasn't a small drop. 10 percent fewer viewers, which totals 4 million people, watched American Idol last night than the season six premiere. It was actually the lowest rated season premiere since 2004, the third edition, which opened with only 29.4 million. The numbers had gone up in the years since but appear to have finally headed in the other direction. E! is blaming last season of American Idol, noting that the popularity of the previous season's finale and overall season seems to impact the next season's premiere. Last season's American Idol, which Jordin Sparks won, steadily declined throughout the year and has yet to produce a big star. Sparks has sold fewer albums than any other American Idol winner.

In other ratings news on Tuesday night, the second part of Comanche Moon on CBS dropped from the first night but still did pretty well with 12.5 million viewers. Not doing well at all was the season premiere of According to Jim on ABC, which everyone seems to have forgotten was still on the air, averaging only 4.1 million viewers.

For other recent TV news, check out our stories on The Golden Globes, Idol Rehab, and One Tree Hill.