Viewers just crazy about their ‘American Idol’

TV viewers couldn’t wait for their “American Idol” fix, turning out 33.5 million strong for Tuesday’s fourth-season debut.

No other show this season has attracted so large an audience, and it represented the third-highest ratings night of entertainment programming in the Fox network’s history, according to Nielsen Media Research.

“I’m as awe-struck as anybody,” said Gail Berman, Fox entertainment president. “We thought we would do well, but nothing like this.”

Last year’s season debut was seen by 29 million people, Nielsen said. Tuesday’s two-hour opener even eclipsed last May’s finale, when 31.4 million people saw Fantasia Barrino crowned the third champion.

However, ratings slipped for Wednesday’s second episode, which aired opposite the ABC hit “Lost.” It drew 26.7 million viewers, down 10 percent from the second-night “Idol” broadcast a year ago.