ABC's 'Wipeout' returns strong; 'Goode' debuts soft

UPDATED: Two of the toughest reality shows of the summer -- ABC's "Wipeout" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" -- faced off Wednesday evening and both walked away with sturdy ratings, while the premiere of Mike Judge's new animated ABC eco-comedy took a tumble.

The second season premiere of obstacle course comedy "Wipeout" (8.7 million viewers, 3.3 adults 18-49 rating) at 8 p.m. won its time period against the first hour of Fox’s "Dance.”

“Wipeout” was down only 11% from last year’s debut and marked ABC's highest-rated summer programming in the slot since 2005. The two-hour “Dance” (8.7 million, 3.5) was off only a tenth from last year and gained slightly on Thursday's edition.

ABC's luck didn't hold through the premiere of Mike Judge's new animated comedy "The Goode Family," however.

"Goode" (3.7 million, 1.6) portrays an ultra-liberal eco-conscious family and plays like the ideological opposite of his Fox show "King of the Hill." "Goode" lost 50% of its "Wipeout" lead in and placed third in the hour, narrowly edging out an NBC repeat to stay out of last place. Reviews of "Goode" have been mixed. ABC ratings tapered further for the summer burn-off run of "Suviving Suburbia" (2.8 million, 1.0) and "The Unusuals" (3.9 million, 1.2)

Fox won the night. CBS was second with quality number for its George Strait concert special (10.6 million, 2.2) -- the most-watched show of the evening, in fact -- followed by a repeat. ABC placed third and NBC fourth.