TV Bites: For First Time in 6 Years, American Idol Settles For a Silver Medal

· For the first time in six years, Fox's ratings juggernaut American Idol fell short of No. 1. The top spot went instead to NBC, whose coverage of the Vancouver Olympics was helped thanks to several of the country's favorite athletes who performed on Wednesday, including Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and Shani Davis. According to early audience numbers, 30.1 million Americans tuned into NBC at the 9 PM hour, compared to Fox's 18.4 million. Last night, American won six gold medals. (Photo credit: Getty) [Reuters]

Simon Cowell clears up those Howard Stern rumors, the CW finds its new Nikita, and more TV Bites after the jump.

· In other American Idol news, Simon Cowell has quieted rumors that Howard Stern is being considered as his replacement, saying that he's "fairly certain" the Sirius personality has not been approached for the job, and even if he had been, he "doesn't seem to fit any of the criteria." [THR]

· The CW is in talks with Maggie Q to star in its Nikita reboot. In the pilot, a new Nikita is trained to replace the original one after she goes rogue. The project is from Bones producer Craig Silverstein. [THR]

· Twilight alumna Rachelle Lefevre has signed onto the John Wells Untitled Medical Drama from CBS. The project centers on a team of medical professionals who travel the U.S. helping those in desperate need of assistance. Lefevre will play a confident medical technician more comfortable on the road than in the hospital. The cast already includes Amy Smart. [EW]

· A&E has picked up a second season of Steven Seagal: Lawman. [THR]