Jay Leno's ratings drop notably for second episode

UPDATED: Everybody expects Jay Leno's new primetime comedy show to drop significantly this week following its highly rated premiere.

The question is how fast, how far.

For its second episode, "The Jay Leno Show" was seen by 11.1 million viewers and drew a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating -- winning its hour with strong numbers, yet falling 40% in viewers and 36% in the demo from its Monday debut.

That's a more pronounced drop than the second night of Conan O'Brien hosting "The Tonight Show" last June, which declined about 30%.

An NBC researcher described the drop as "expected."

Night Two also had Leno against greater broadcast competition, with the NBC program facing the second hour of CBS' "Big Brother" finale, and ABC airing a Barbara Walters special on the late Patrick Swayze. Leno was aided by a strong lead-in from the return of NBC's reality hit "The Biggest Loser" (last night's reality show ratings here).

The heavy hitters at 10 p.m. roll out next week, when broadcasters unleash the bulk of their premieres, including CBS' top-rated dramas such as "CSI: Miami" and "The Mentalist."

The Leno episode featured an interview with Michael Moore in the studio, along with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz via satellite. Critics gave Leno props for his lively interviews (including asking Cruise if he's ever been to a strip club), but one opined that the second half of Leno's show had too many "excruciating" comedy bits.

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