Without Cupid as a distraction, the ABC drama "Lost" wooed more viewers Wednesday than it did last week.

Overnight ratings from Nielsen Media Research were higher than those on Valentine's Day. This week, 13 million viewers tuned in, slightly higher than the 12.8 million from a week earlier, according figures released yesterday by Nielsen and ABC.

The Valentine's Day episode drew the lowest number of viewers since "Lost" debuted in September 2004. And neither of the ratings is near the show's peak of 20 million viewers.

The show returned from hiatus on Feb. 7 in a later time slot — 9 p.m. in Hawai'i — and there was speculation beforehand that the later time could cause problems. The return was heavily promoted and drew 14.5 million viewers. Since then, the show has been on a ratings roller coaster.

"Certainly any trend upward is positive," said Walea Constantinau, film commissioner of the Honolulu Film Office. "I would like to think that people are continuing to find the show interesting."

"Lost" was the No. 1 scripted show for Wednesday night among adults 18 to 49 years old. ABC said the show drew 7.5 million viewers Wednesday in that coveted demographic.

"Lost" is doing better in its new time slot than any ABC show in the last decade, said Jeff Bader, an executive vice president at ABC. "The show is still very, very strong," he said.

Adjusting to a new time slot can be difficult for some viewers, said Donne Dawson, state film commissioner.

"Television is a very fickle creature," she said. "People's attention spans are limited and if they get taken down a certain road that they are not enjoying for any length of time, they switch gears."

Eddie Wycheck, a 34-year-old restaurant manager from Waikiki, loves "Lost" but admits to a frustration with its serpentine plot line — and that he'll yell at the TV when his irritation boils over.

"I think they have done a good job of putting twists in there," he said. "I just think they put in too many."

He thinks the complicated story has turned viewers away from "Lost."

"Sometimes I really feel I could skip it for a few weeks and I would only miss a bunch of random stuff," Wycheck said. "There are so many episodes that leave you hanging and they don't come back soon enough."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.