‘Idol,’ as Usual

Even with CBS and ABC broadcasting mostly reruns on Thursday, NBC and its new three-hour comedy block struggled to gain much traction in the ratings as Fox and “American Idol” easily topped the night. According to Nielsen’s estimates, “Idol” led over all with 22.3 million viewers at 8 p.m., boosting Fox’s “Bones” into the lead at 9 with 12.2 million viewers. CBS ranked second. Although NBC fared better than CBS and ABC in the demographic of viewers 18 to 49, it trailed in third place in total viewers, tied with ABC.