‘Idol’ stays adorable in a week of war, hoops

Perhaps not surprisingly, several programs with “America” in the title performed admirably during a topsy-turvy week that saw CBS relocate “Survivor” due to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, several hits in reruns and an expanded prime-time news presence due to war.

Based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research, Fox’s “American Idol” was left atop the weekly standings, while NBC’s premiere of “America’s Most Talented Kid” -- which amounts to a junior version of “American Idol” -- premiered to solid ratings Friday, when overall TV viewing levels are generally lower. NBC also registered improved scores from the Nielsen judges for the “Miss USA” pageant.

On the downside for NBC, “Ed,” in its move to Fridays, didn’t benefit from “Most Talented Kid’s” prosperity, and “The West Wing” continues to struggle -- albeit facing unusually stiff competition last week with an expanded “American Idol” spilling into its time slot. That lead-in audience also helped Fox’s new sitcom “Wanda at Large,” generate sizable viewer sampling.

After the NCAA tournament was pushed onto ESPN for a time after war broke out, ratings for the sports event have remained depressed, thus far running more than 20% behind year-ago levels.

CBS did sail off with big numbers from its Celine Dion concert special, which handily won its Tuesday time slot, overshadowing the one-hour “Life With Bonnie” that aired against it on ABC.

In fact, ABC’s most-watched program last week, “The Practice,” ranked 28th overall. The latest edition of “The Bachelor” also got off to a ho-hum start, though past versions have usually built toward the finale.

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