GLEE's Outdone by 'Rudolph,' Still Hits Season High this Week

The only program that can compete with GLEE? One 45-year-old animated holiday special also known as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on CBS, which drew 10.7 million viewers and a 3.8 preliminary rating among adults 18-49. This makes Rudolph the highest-rated holiday special of 2009 to date, although it's rating were 10% when it aired this same time in 2008. 

Overall, Fox had the highest ratings for the evening, with GLEE, the typicaly Wednesday night winner, drawing 8.2 million views and a 3.6 preliminary rating among adults 18 - 49, and So You Think You Can Dance drawing 6.3 million views, with a 2.3 preliminary rating among adults 18 - 49. Despite being out beaten by a reindeer, yesterdays broadcast was a season high for GLEE.

ABC and NBC tied for third place in the nightly ratings poll, with ABC airing repeats in addition to The Middle (6.4 million, 2.0) and Eastwick (4.2 million, 1.3), next to NBC's Jay Leno show repeat (5.6 million, 1.5) and its Christmas in Rockefeller Center broadcast (8.8 million, 1.8).  The tree lighting, hosted by Jane Krakowski and Zach Levi fell in rating by 18% compared to last year.