Fox’s ‘American Idol’ crushes competitors

“American Idol” isn’t just TV’s top series.

It’s a competition-chewing monster.

Up 14 percent in this fifth season, its most-watched yet, “Idol” is so big – and has such broad appeal – that rival shows are reduced to competing for crumbs.

ABC comedies “According to Jim” and “Hope & Faith” have earned their lowest numbers yet opposite “Idol’s” warblers.

NBC’s Winter Olympics fell far behind, often by a 2-to-1 ratio, while “Biggest Loser” was, well, a loser and “Joey’s” return lasted all of a week.

Even “Lost” is down about 20 percent since “Idol’s” results show began airing against it in late February.

Yet as big as it is – and “Idol” is averaging more than 30 million viewers this season – only one in four potential viewers tune in.

Put another way, “almost three-fourths of viewers watching TV Tuesday at 8 are not watching ‘Idol,’ ” says ABC scheduling chief Jeff Bader.

“There must be something that can successfully compete against it; it’s just that no one has found it yet.”

“Idol” does have its weak spots, relatively speaking.

Teenage boys are far less devoted than girls. And the show is least dominant among older adults, which explains why CBS’ “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds” have fared better against it:

On Tuesday last week, “NCIS” claimed 18 percent of viewers 50 and older, a close second to “Idol’s” 21 percent share.

“There’s a true drama fan that is not going to be enticed by reality shows,” says CBS research chief David Poltrack.

He chalks up “NCIS’ ” military muscle to its older audience profile, which makes it “invulnerable to the impact of ‘Idol,’ ” whereas “Lost’s” younger, family audience overlaps with the singing show.

Still, it’s mostly a losing battle, says Sam Armando, TV research director at media buyer Starcom, who compares “Idol” to the unstoppable heyday of NBC’s “ER” in the mid-1990s.

“We never saw what the networks considered their best programming against it,” he says. “That’s what’s been the trend here,” as rival networks are “sticking with what they have, knowing it’s going to get killed versus trying something new.”

And moving a hit show against it is simply “too much of a risk” until the “Idol” train slows, Armando says: “A lot of people thought this would be the year the show would start to decline, but the opposite happened.”

That has helped Fox climb to a close second place in the ratings for the season so far among young adults. As of last week, the network trailed ABC by just 130,000.

And there’s more to come: By the time a winner is crowned on May 24, Fox will have aired 45 hours of “Idol” this season – the most yet – a figure that’s up from 38 1/2 hours last year.