[keg in kc]

Ratings are up! At least for a week.

‘Fringe’ Ratings Jump Up On Friday As Fox Ties CBS

Feb 21, 2011 by Michael Crider

After two weeks of declining numbers, there’s reason to celebrate at the FBI’s most entertaining division. ‘Fringe’ posted a 10% overall gain over the previous episode, leading Fox to tie the usual Friday night champ, CBS.

Fringe ratings go up 10 4.1 million viewers last week.

Fringe may be down, but it’s not out. Fox’s science fiction staple secured 4.1 million viewers last Friday night, posting a 10% gain over the previous week. Combined with reality show Kitchen Nightmares, Fox scored its best Friday in weeks, tying the usual favorite CBS for overall viewership.

It’s been a rocky road for Fringe ever since Fox moved it to Friday night in early January. Defying the stigma surrounding the myriad of Fox shows that have sputtered and died after the same move, the show posted solid number for the first two weeks. The following two weren’t as kind, dropping to a mere 1.4 million viewers in the crucial 18-49 demographic.

This week saw that value jump to 1.5 million (a 7% gain for 18-49 year-olds), a number that may be attributable to Fringe star Joshua Jackson’s impassioned plea for fans to watch the show live. Jackson’s request made its way through the internet all week, and his rallying banner may have helped stop the shed of viewers – for now.

At least one network executive seems to be backing Fringe. Fox president Kevin Reilly revealed his own excitement for the series a few weeks ago (despite the move to the “Friday night death slot”) in a press event. Unfortunately, he didn’t have good news for other struggling shows like Lie to Me and Human Target.

In other ratings news, The CW’s one-two teenage sci-fi punch of Smallville and Supernatural continues to lose viewers. Both scored around 2 million viewers each, and only 900,000 each in the 18-49 demo. The numbers aren’t as bad as they seem considering The CW’s smaller budget and audience, but the Smallville producers in particular can’t be thrilled that the show keeps dropping viewers during the lead-up to its series finale.