TV Ratings: ‘American Idol’ Dips, Still Wins Sunday

By Will Thorne

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “American Idol” drew a smaller audience than in previous episodes on Sunday night, however, the ABC talent show still easily came out on top of the charts.

“Idol” scored a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49 and 7 million total viewers, down around 7% in both metrics on last week. Its perhaps no surprise that “The Rookie” also ticked down given its weaker lead-in. After season high numbers last time around, the Nathan Fillion show posted a 0.7 and 4.5 million viewers this time around. An “America’s Funniest Home Videos” replay kicked off the night for with a 0.8 and 5.1 million viewers.

CBS came second on the night, with “60 Minutes” leading the way at a 0.9 rating and 9.2 million viewers, the largest audience of the night and the show’s biggest viewership tally since mid-January. “God Friended Me” came in even week-to-week at a 0.6 and almost exactly 6 million viewers. “NCIS: Los Angeles” ticked up to a 0.7 and 6.5 million viewers, an eight-week high. “NCIS: New Orleans” didn’t fare quite as well, dipping to a 0.5 and 5.6 million pairs of eyeballs.

Over on NBC, the new season of “Little Big Shots” with Melissa McCarthy at the helm settled in to its regular time slot to unspectacular numbers. The show garnered a 0.5 rating and 3.4 million viewers, down around 30% from last week’s premiere. “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” followed it up with a 0.4 and 2.1 million viewers. A “Good Girls” episode came in at a 0.4 and 1.8 million.

Starting at 8 p.m., Fox’s Animation Domination lineup averaged around a 0.5 rating, with “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers” both coming in at a 0.6. “Family Guy” scored a 0.5, while “Duncanville” posted a 0.4.

The CW aired two replays of “Batwoman” and “Supergirl,” both of which came in at a 0.1 rating.