‘Bible’ answers cable’s prayers

History’s “The Bible” preached to a record congregation last week, proving cable TV’s ongoing challenge to the broadcasters with original programming.

Producer Mark Burnett’s adaptation of the Scripture — starting with early stories from the Old Testament — drew 13.1-million viewers for its two-hour premiere, according to Nielsen. That made it the No. 1 entertainment telecast of the year on cable TV.

The numbers for “The Bible” were impressive even by broadcast standards. CBS’ smash crime dramas “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” were the only scripted shows that drew more viewers last week. “The Bible” was even more widely watched than Thursday’s episode of “American Idol.”

Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet week in prime time. Fox won the period among viewers aged 18 to 49 thanks largely to “Idol,” although the singing contest is now merely a reliable hit rather than the singular phenomenon of years past. “Idol” was still strong enough last week to carry Fox to easy victories Wednesday and Thursday.

CBS won among total viewers, although its numbers were somewhat depressed because “The Big Bang Theory,” one of its biggest hits, aired a repeat.

ABC’s overall results weren’t spectacular, but its sitcom smash “Modern Family” was tops for the week among young adults. Sunday’s premiere of the drama “Red Widow” produced mediocre numbers.

NBC skidded through another cringe-inducing week, with its top show, “Chicago Fire,” drawing 6.6 million people to rank No. 38 overall.