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TV ratings: 500th ‘American Idol’ episode rises as top three perform

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“American Idol” jumped in the ratings Wednesday night as the aging singing contest aired its 500th episode.

Performances from the top three contestants — Caleb Johnson, Alex Preston and Jena Irene — drew 8.77 million viewers overall and a rating of 2.1 among the key 18-to-49-year-olds, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

In the advertiser-desired demographic, “Idol” increased 24% from last week’s low result, matching the number it posted three weeks ago. As Fox’s only prime-time programming Wednesday, “Idol” gave the network a close second-place finish in the demo, coming in a tenth of a point behind CBS.

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CBS benefited from the Season 9 finale of “Criminal Minds,” which rose 17% from last week to a 2.7, a tenth of a point shy of the previous season closer. Adding in a steady 2.5 from “Survivor” and a rerun of “CSI,” CBS averaged 9.94 million viewers total and a 2.2 in 18-49, where a ratings point equals about 1.3 million viewers.

NBC’s Dick Wolf spinoff “Chicago P.D.” rose 14% week-to-week for a 1.6 in 18-49, earning a win in the 10 p.m. hour over the “CSI” repeat. “Law & Order: SVU” matched its week-ago rating (1.5), coming after an episode of “Revolution” that was also flat at a 1.1.

ABC’s lineup generally improved from last week. Once again the network had the top show among young adults with “Modern Family” (up 7% to a 3.1), while “The Middle” and the season finale of “Suburgatory” garnered double-digit percentage gains and “Mixology” held even.

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The season finale of “Nashville” earned a 1.3, which is 8% better than last week. However, both “Suburgatory” and “Nashville” were down from their prior season closers.

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