Fox Jumps Feet First into Television Dance Craze

NEW YORK — Fox proved that TV viewers’ summer infatuation with dance may not be just a passing fancy. The network’s debut of “So You Think You Can Dance,” an “American Idol”-like competition for hoofers, pulled in 10.3 million viewers last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

While relatively modest, it was still the week’s third most- watched show, second among young viewers. It comes on the heels of the summer’s biggest success, ABC’s now-concluded “Dancing With the Stars.”

For the week, CBS averaged 7.3 million viewers, while Fox had 5.8 million and won among the advertiser-friendly 18-to-49-year-old demographic. NBC had 5.6 million viewers and ABC 5.3 million.

NBC’s “Nightly News” won the evening news ratings race, averaging 8.2 million viewers. ABC’s “World News Tonight” averaged 8 million viewers, while the “CBS Evening News” attracted 6.6 million.

For the week ending Sunday, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships were:

1. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 14.6 million.

2. “Without a Trace,” CBS, 12.7 million.

3. “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox, 10.3 million.

4. “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 9.8 million.

5. “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” NBC, 9.7 million.

6. “NCIS,” CBS, 9.4 million.

7. “Brat Camp,” ABC, 9.4 million.

8. “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC, 9.2 million.

9. “Law & Order,” NBC, 9 million.

10. “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 8.9 million.