1. "American Idol" (FOX) - 17.5/25
2. "Lost" (ABC) - 12.6/18
3. "Law & Order" (NBC) - 11.3/18
4. "CSI: NY" (CBS) - 9.8/15
5. "The West Wing" (NBC) - 8.2/12
6. "Alias" (ABC) - 7.2/10
7. "60 Minutes" (CBS) - 7.2/10
8. "Wife Swap" (ABC) - 6.7/10
9. "The King of Queens" (CBS) - 6.6/9
10. "That '70s Show" (FOX) - 6.3/9
11. "The Simple Life 3: Interns" (FOX) - 6.2/9
12. "Yes, Dear" (CBS) - 5.7/8
13. "Crossing Jordan" (R, NBC) - 5.2/7
14. "Smallville" (WB) - 4.3/6
15. "The Road to Stardom" (UPN) - 2.6/4
16. "Kevin Hill" (UPN) - 2.5/4
17. "Jack & Bobby" (WB) - 1.8/2

Surprisingly hefty for American Idol considering it was a results show.

I know someone is going to look at the 7.2/10 achieved by Alias and complain/worry that it's losing viewers. Keep in mind that it is holding better against American Idol (other than The West Wing, which is older-skewing anyway) than any other show, and it was #2 in adults 18-49.

Very good for alias! Hopfully the crappy show will continue losing viewers.

AI dominating as always.

By crappy show you mean AI, right?

Alias's numbers are still good, but I just wish it was more secure. Either way, it's doing better opposite AI on Wednesdays than opposite minimal competition on Sundays. Always a good sign, in large part due to Lost.

Well, I guess I can see that the fact that Alias beat The West Wing is a good thing, but keep in mind it also lost to Yes, Dear (*shudder*).

Anyway, great numbers for American Idol. You know, that show's really ingrained itself into our pop-culture over the past two years.

Alias beat every show but American Idol in the 18-49 demo in its hour, not just The West Wing.
It just didn't have more total viewers than The West Wing. Alias averaged more viewers in its hour than Yes Dear got in its half hour (10.03 vs. 9.73), I'm not sure about the the half hour break down for Alias, but it did get more viewers than the average of King Of Queens and Yes Dear hour. So things aren't that dire in the total viewers front.

things arent dire at all guys, last year Alias fans were wondering what 10 million viewers looked like - now it seems like the 10 million threshold is the lowest ratings yet, and with American Idol sucking away at the audience, its bound to decline.

Dont worry, i seriously doubt that theres any chance of cancellation for "Alias" unless it slips bellow 8 million viewers at any point this season. But episode on episode its so far ahead of last season it kind of hurts to think how lonely tv sets were when Alias came on....

I love it. If ABC cancels it ill boycott all its shows - yes even 8 Simple Rules and Desperate Housewives.

I blame Alias not pulling in 30 million viewers plus on the dumbness of America in general.

"Everybody Loves Raymond"?....."Without a Trace?"....please people....

It's not like Alias is egghead TV, it's very formulaic. Every episode it's this new faction we never heard of has some device we need, go in there and pretend to be someone and deceive him so we can get the cannister. Wheels up in 15 minutes.

But "Alias" is smartly written, amazingly acted and superbly directed, it just kicks ass.
Im not sure about season 4, ive heard that its too quickly tied up - theres not enough cliff hangers etc which is kind of the POINT of Alias.... but never mind, we will wait and see.

And you know what, i disagree with that statement, unless alias has changed dramatically, then its not true.

"Alias" relies on lots of layered storys to give it texture and dimension that ive never found present with any other show on TV. Its got family issues, a forbidden romance, quirky missions and lots of intriuge all tied in - and i have been surprised and entertained with every single episode ;

Thank god J.J. Abrams moved onto Lost from Alias. Lost is really inventive, Alias is way too formulaic and bland for my tastes. Garner is foxholed. Every movie she's in has bombed/dissapointed, and her show ain't great either.

I never would have known you didnt like her.
Not like is glaringly obvious in every post concerning her or nothing....
Im not getting into this, but suffice to say "13 Going on 30" was highly profitable, and was one of 2004's biggest romantic comedies in many countries, including the UK. And practically every critic out there would disagree with the statement that "Her show ain't great either" as would i and probobly every Alias fan out there.

"Alias" rocks, always will. I don't care if the sudden influx of new viewers are calling it "bland" becuase they've not been a part of the backstory. If "Alias" had started with its first season with the amount of ads that "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives" has then....it still would have went right over the heads of Americans.

Theres nothing "bland" about Alias; its characters are all different and interesting, it fails to take itself too seriously, the missions are fun an exciting and the doses of subplots and characters other motives is hugely innovative. [see Season 1/2/some of season 3]