Fox’s ‘Dance’ whirls into popular premiere showing

Fox proved that TV viewers’ summer infatuation with dance may not be just a passing fancy.

The network’s debut of “So You Think You Can Dance,” an “American Idol”-like competition for hoofers, pulled in 10.3 million viewers last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

While that’s a relatively modest total, it was still the week’s third most-watched show, and second among young viewers.

It comes on the heels of the summer’s biggest success, ABC’s now-concluded “Dancing With the Stars.”

ABC’s “Brat Camp,” following troubled teens being shocked into shape, is another summer newcomer to crack the Top 10. But elsewhere, the shows that made the network a surprise success during the TV season are having the opposite effect during summer.

A “Desperate Housewives” rerun drew only 5.3 million viewers last week, while a “Lost” repeat had 4.5 million. These serial-type shows traditionally do poorly in reruns, a truism that pulled ABC into fourth place for the week.

Dramas where the stories are resolved in one episode do much better in repeats. That’s why seven of Nielsen’s top 15 shows last week were episodes of either the “CSI” or “Law & Order” franchises. Three other police-procedural dramas also made the top 15.

For the week, CBS averaged 7.3 million viewers in prime time (5.0 rating, 9 share), while Fox had 5.8 million (3.7, 7) and won among the advertiser-friendly 18-to-49-year-old demographic.

NBC averaged 5.6 million viewers (4.1, 7), ABC 5.3 million (3.7, 7), UPN 2.8 million (1.8, 3) and the WB 1.7 million (1.2, 2).

A ratings point represents 1,096,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 109.6 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

The top 10 shows for the week ending Sunday: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 14.6 million viewers; “Without a Trace,” CBS, 12.7 million; “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox, 10.3 million; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 9.8 million; “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” NBC, 9.7 million; “NCIS,” CBS, 9.4 million; “Brat Camp,” ABC, 9.4 million; “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC, 9.2 million; “Law & Order,” NBC, 9 million; “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 8.9 million.