Despite being panned by critics, the CBS spinoff series “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior,” starring Forest Whitaker, attracted 12.9 million viewers at 10 p.m. Wednesday, actually improving slightly on the numbers for the original “Criminal Minds” at 9 p.m., which drew 12.8 million.
At 8 p.m., however, the season debut of “Survivor Redemption Island,” going head-to-head against Fox’s “American Idol” for the first time, drew 11.2 million viewers for CBS, the lowest number ever to tune in to a season premiere of the reality series.
It was down 29 percent from last year’s premiere when it aired on Thursday without serious competition.
But “Idol” also took a hit. Wednesday’s ratings were down 4 percent from a week ago. Its total audience of 22.84 million, however, was greater than all of its competition combined.
