Ratings: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ steady; ‘Duck Dynasty’ dominates ‘American Idol’

There’s really not enough happening right now when it comes to TV ratings to justify multiple stories on this, but we have some pretty interesting things to share from both Wednesday and Thursday nights here.

First of all, we have to talk about the complete decimation of “American Idol.” What is going on here? While we think that singing-competition overkill is one part of the equation, it’s not the only part. A 2.7 rating Thursday night in the 18-49 demographic marks a new series low for the show, and this is pretty much at “X Factor” levels at this point while “The Voice” is faring better while also paying less for its talent. “Duck Dynasty” didn’t just beat the show on Wednesday night, it dominated it: “Idol” had a 3.2 on this night, compared to a 3.7 for the A&E reality show.

The biggest issue we see with the show right now is a repetitive-but-true answer: it’s the judges. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey hate each other to the extent that there is no rapport there, and the chemistry is, to use one of Nicki’s own words, flat as a pancake. She’s a great judge, but there is nobody there to engage there and you need conflict, even of a light-hearted variety.

We’re also going to throw a little shade on producers here, mostly for choosing such a weak crop of guys to advance. We’re not going to start any conspiracy theories since we do believe that a woman should win this season, but there had to be somebody who could have brought more attention to the guys! You need someone that will keep that demographic of women watching and voting, and we’re not sure they are present here.

In going away from that for a minute, we have a few assorted notes here to share:

-After we posted earlier this week that “Beauty and the Beast” was strongly on the bubble, the show stayed steady Thursday night with a 0.6. This helps its chances, and with there being three hours earlier in the week on Mondays and Tuesday that The CW needs to take care of, this show at least has a shot.

-“1600 Penn” with its 0.7 rating is dead.

-“Scandal” (2.6) came close to beating “Grey’s Anatomy” (2.8).

Why do you think “American Idol” ratings are dying? If you want to read some more reaction to the results show, you can do so by heading on over to the link here.

Photo: Fox