‘Idol’ captures huge viewership

Is there no stopping “American Idol”? Fox’s competitors must be wondering. This week’s two-hour episode, featuring the 12 finalists in the mega-popular singing competition, gave the network its most-watched Tuesday ever, with an average of 26.5 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

More viewers tuned into “Idol,” in fact, than watched ABC, CBS and NBC combined during the 8-to-10 p.m. slot.

The news was particularly harsh for CBS, which saw the premiere of its futuristic legal drama “Century City” wither at 9 p.m., with 8.9 million viewers.

Perhaps the only Fox rival to save face was UPN, whose “America’s Next Top Model” topped NBC’s “Scrubs” among young adults and tied ABC’s comedy “Less Than Perfect.”