"American Idol" back on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

from broadcasting and cable

Idol Steers Clear of Thursday Night
By Ben Grossman

It appears Fox once again will steer its prized American Idol clear of
Thursday nights, as the network will debut the series with two-hour
specials on Tuesday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m.

Beginning the following week, it will shift to its regular time
periods of Tuesdays at 8 and Wednesdays at 9, though the network does
to tend to run episodes of the shows in other nights and time periods
from time to time.

Since Idol became a ratings juggernaut, there has been annual
speculation that Fox may move the show in some form to Thursdays, the
most lucrative night of the week.

But the network has smartly resisted, keeping it on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays where it has become one of the most intimidating forces on

Obveeus...

Didn't FOX air some of the 'worst of American Idol' clips on a Thursday
segment?

evwill...

There were a few Thursday airings last season and I suspect there will
be a few again in '07, just to tweak the other networks.

Everett W.

television, causing other networks to often hold off on scheduling
mid-season grids until Fox announced where the show would air and then
try and counter-program.

The move also makes sense with Thursday nights even more competitive
this season thanks to ABC’s sudden resurgence on the night.ABC’s shift
of Grey’s Anatomy to 9 and the introduction of rookie Ugly Betty at 8
have put the network on the map Thursdays for the first time in years.