CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ muscles its way into Nielsen’s top 10

NEW YORK — Studly men flexing their muscles in sweaty shirts dominated Nielsen’s top-10 list of popular programming. And there was football, too.

CBS’ “60 Minutes” finished as the week’s eighth-most-watched program, featuring top network anchor Scott Pelley’s interview with actor Hugh Jackman. Pelley joined Jackman in a workout, pumping iron and revealing muscles usually hidden underneath a conservative suit when he anchors the “CBS Evening News.”

As is typical in the fall, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup, most recently featuring the Green Bay Packers’ comeback win against the Detroit Lions, was the top show in the ratings.

CBS has had great success with its Grammy Awards telecast in recent years, but its attempt to expand the franchise with a performance-driven show announcing the nominees didn’t do as well. The nomination show was ranked No. 54 for the week with 5.4 million viewers.

CBS’ Tuesday schedule oddly paired the children’s classic “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” and the adult classic “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.” This year, the youngsters won, with “Rudolph” getting 10.1 million viewers and the lingerie-clad women getting 9.5 million.

ABC had no programs in Nielsen’s top 20.

CBS won the week with a prime-time average of 9.4 million viewers. NBC was second with 7.8 million, and it won the 18-to-49-year-old category it most actively targets. Fox had 6.1 million and ABC 5.7 million.

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co.for Dec. 3-9. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.

1. Sunday Night Football: Detroit at Green Bay, NBC, 21.36 million.

2. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 16.95 million.

3. “Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick,” NBC, 16.44 million. 4. “Person of Interest,” CBS, 14.18 million. 5. “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 13.5 million.

6. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 12.12 million.

7. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 12.11 million. 8. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 11.87 million. 9. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 11.52 million. 10. “The OT,” Fox, 11.45 million. 11. “Criminal Minds,” CBS, 11.33 million. 12. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 11.17 million. 13. “NCIS” (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 11.06 million.

14. “Survivor: Philippines,” CBS, 10.64 million. 15. “Elementary,” CBS, 10.31 million. 16. “Mike & Molly,” CBS, 10.23 million. 17. “2 Broke Girls,” CBS, 10.17 million. 18. “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer,” CBS, 10.11 million. 19. “CSI: NY,” CBS, 9.95 million. 20. “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” CBS, 9.48 million.