The new Christian Slater comedy "Breaking In" posted a solid debut for Fox on Wednesday thanks largely to a plum post-"American Idol" time slot, according to preliminary numbers.
The "Breaking In" premiere at 9:30 drew a 3.5 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, and 9.8 million total viewers.
The most recent show in the timeslot that wasn't "Idol" or a rerun — an original episode of "Bones" on March 10 — took in a 3.4/10 in the demo and 10.9 million viewers.
"Idol," from 8 to 9:30, was once again the top-rated show of the evening, with a 7.1/20 in the demo and 22.5 million total viewers, a slight dip from last week's 7.5/21 in the demo and 23.5 million total viewers.
CBS snared the second-highest rating of the evening with "Criminal Minds" at 9, with a 3.6/9 in the demo and 13.9 million total viewers — an increase in the ratings over last week's 3.4/9. "Survivor: Redemption Island" kicked off primetime for the network at 8, drawing a 3.1/9 in the demo — flat with last week's performance — and 10.5 million total viewers. "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" at 10 took a 2.1/5 in the demo and 8.9 million total viewers — down from the previous week's 2.3/6 in the demo and 9.3 million total viewers.
At ABC, back-to-back reruns of "The Middle" at 8 and 8:30 both took in a 1.3/4 in the demo and 4.7 million and 4.4 million total viewers, respectively. A repeat of "Modern Family" at 9 grabbed a 2.0/5 in the demo and 5.3 million total viewers, while a new episode of "Mr. Sunshine" at 9:30 earned a 14 percent increase in the demo compared to the previous week, with a 1.6/4 and 4.6 million total viewers. (Last week's episode garnered a 1.4 in the demo and 4 million total viewers.) The season finale of "Off the Map" capped off the evening for the network at 10 with a 1.3/3 in the demo, flat with last week's performance, and 3.8 million total viewers.
NBC's "Minute to Win It" at 8 snared a 1.0/3 in the demo and 3.3 million total viewers, followed by a "Law & Order: SVU" repeat the following hour, with had a 0.9/2 in the demo and 3.6 million total viewers. A new episode of the series at 10 took a 2.3/6 in the demo and 8 million total viewers — down compared to last week's 2.4/6 and 8.3 million total viewers.
