Jericho returned to CBS on Wednesday after a long winter break.  Unfortunately, it looks like their fans forgot about the show while it was away.  Jericho's ratings plummeted from its previous averages, garnering only a 2.4 Nielsen rating in the powerful 18-49 demographic.  There are a couple of factors at play here.

In the fall, Jericho did not have to compete against the unstoppable ratings juggernaut that is American Idol.  I'm sure CBS was hoping that the American Idol viewers wouldn't overlap with the Jericho fans.  They thought wrong.  Everybody watches American Idol, and no one seems willing to give up their Idol fix in favor of anything else being offered on TV.
Jericho is just one in the line of many shows who have been decimated by the American Idol empire.  It's unfortunate.  This bizarre scenario is getting to the point where other networks might as well not even try to put anything against American Idol.  It's not Jericho's fault, really.  No one wants a piece of Idol these days, nor should they.  Even Lost, one of the most popular shows on TV, boasting maybe the most loyal fan base in all of television, had to change time slots to avoid American Idol.

So, Jericho fans, don't worry.  Your show isn't getting less popular, it's just being steamrolled by Idol.  Like every other show on TV.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer