• by Wayne Friedman , April 17, 2007

Should every Fox show be given an "American Idol" launching pad?

A case could be made for Fox's race-themed ensemble drama "Drive," which didn't have "Idol" to offer it a jump-start. That said, Fox wanted to give the show a two-hour premiere, so there were fewer slots put in the show.

Fox's "Drive" could only manage an idling 2.6 rating/7 share among 18-49 viewers on Sunday night, according to preliminary Nielsen results. Such numbers landed the network in third place for the night. The show wasn't helped by a repeat hour of "The Simpsons" that ran before it, earning a 2.1/7.

ABC returned to form--winning all four hours on Sunday. "America's Funniest Home Videos" had a 2.6/8, then a repeat of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" pulled in 3.7/10. "Desperate Housewives" earned a better 6.3/15--numbers up from a week before--and finally, "Brothers & Sisters" finished the evening with a 4.5/12, also improving week-to-week.

CBS landed in second place on the night, moving up throughout the evening among 18-49 viewers. "60 Minutes" earned a 2.2/7 and "Amazing Race: All-Stars" moved up to a 2.9/8. "Cold Case" went a bit better with a 3.0/7, and "Without a Trace" ended the night with a 3.5/9.

ABC topped all networks with a 4.3/11; CBS, was next, a 2.9/8; Fox, in third, a 2.4/6; then NBC, a 2.0/5; Univision, 1.2/3; and CW, 0.8/3.