• by Wayne Friedman , February 10, 2012

The "American Idol" watch continues -- somewhat predictably -- with still-decent numbers and a neck-and-neck battle with CBS' "Big Bang Theory."

While the longtime Fox show is still down some 25% in viewership versus a year ago, its week-to-week numbers have stabilized.

For its Thursday results shows -- typically producing lower numbers than its Wednesday performance shows -- the hour-long "Idol" at 8 p.m. actually improved two-tenths of one rating point from the week before to a Nielsen preliminary 5.7 rating/16 share among 18-49 viewers and 17.9 million overall viewers. 

For its account, CBS' "Big Bang Theory" continues to keep pace -- with a 5.5/16 and 16 million viewers. But during the common half-hour where "Bang" and "Idol" airs, "Bang" rung up another victory over "Idol" with a 5.5 rating to 5.2 rating.

For Thursday night overall, Fox posted a 4.0/11; CBS, 3.6/10; ABC, a 2.6/7; NBC, 1.7/5; Univision, 1.4/4; and the CW, a 1.0/3.

After "Idol," Fox new midseason show "The Firm" seems to be settling into the low 2 rating mark -- a decent effort this time around with a 2.3/6 and 6.3 million viewers. It was down a bit from last week's outing.

After "Bang" at 8 p.m., CBS was consistent for the remainder of the night. "Rob" was up a bit to a 3.4/9 in 18-49; "Person Of Interest" equalled its series high with a 3.3/8, and "The Mentalist" remained at a 2.9/8.

ABC got its best results from "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m. with a 3.9/10, up three-tenths from the week before, and winning the 9 p.m. hour. "Private Practice" held steady at a 2.3/6.

NBC went into rerun mode -- except for "The Office." The veteran 9 p.m. sitcom was at a 2.5/6, its lowest numbers in seven years. At 10 p.m., NBC went with a repeat of an earlier week's episode of "The Voice," hitting a 1.5/4.

Both CW shows had gains among its targeted young women audience. "Vampire Diaries" was up 21% among its key women 18-34 viewers to a 1.7 rating/5 share. "The Secret Circle" rose 25% in women 18-34 to a 1.0/3.