The TV Ratings for Wednesday, January 21st are in.  Here are some highlights:

• It was a good night for Fox.  The network scored big with American Idol (3.3 ratings share and 11.53 million total viewers at 8 p.m.), which was up 10 percent from last week.

• Ratings continued to be incredibly strong for Fox's Empire at 9 p.m. as well.  The "black Dynasty" drama jumped to 4.3 in the ratings share, up 8 percent from last week (bringing the total viewers to almost 11 million).  It's unusual for a show to grow by such leaps and bounds every week, but it doesn't necessarily mean long-term success.  However, Empire's strong live numbers (as opposed to Live + 7, for DVR) is an indicator it will probably be sticking around (and yes, you should check it out).

• On the CW, Arrow returned from hiatus with modest numbers that are on par with its midseason finale (1.1 ratings, 2.96 million viewers), but it still lagged behind The Mentalist on CBS and -- worse -- a rerun of The Middle on ABC.

• On the other hand, The 100 -- a CW show that has steadily been gaining cred after a rocky start -- was up 20 percent for its return, pulling 0.6 in the ratings and 1.57 million viewers (you have to grade the CW on a curve, but The 100 is definitely hanging in there).