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