FOX's stunt pays off big for "Glee"

Glee was one of the most critically acclaimed hits of the fall, but like many critic favorites it did not translate to big ratings. The show averaged just under 8 million viewers an episode during its first 13 episodes, putting it on par with shows like Biggest Loser and Medium. Glee returned last night at 9:28pm ET immediately following American Idol. The lead-in from idol and the unusual start time resulted in 13.6 million viewers. Perhaps what is most impressive is that Glee held on to all (or gained as many as they lost) of Idol's 18-34 year old viewers, the demographic most sought after by advertisers.

Glee is a great show, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you should. The first 13 episodes are already available on DVD, and the last 6 are available to watch free at www.hulu.com/glee

All that's left for Glee is to wait and see whether these new viewers come back to continue watching in the following weeks. Nielsen does note that there were 1.6 million fewer viewers in the final 5 minutes of last nights show than the first 5 minutes, but most of those viewers lost were from older demographics.