Ratings: Grammys surge past 'Idol' to become week's top broadcast program

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, which garnered its highest rated airing in six years, was the top-rated program of the week on the broadcast networks—beating even Fox’s stalwart champ American Idol!—for the seven day period ending Jan. 31. Granted, the Grammys’ 25.9 million viewers only beat the Wednesday edition of American Idol (No. 2, 25.7 million viewers) by less than a million viewers, but the professional awards show was finally victorious over the amateur competition once again. In third place for the week was the Tuesday edition of Idol, which drew 24.5 million viewers.

The rest of the top 20 highest-rated shows for the week was littered with the usual suspects, from CBS’ NCIS (No. 4, 20.2 million viewers) and 60 Minutes (No. 7, 12.3 million viewers) to ABC’s The Bachelor (No. 10, 11.5 million viewers) and Desperate Housewives (No. 12, 11.4 million viewers). Fox scored with House (No. 6, 14.2 million viewers) and Bones (No. 7, 12.3 million viewers), while NBC’s highest-rated show was The Biggest Loser (No. 17, 9.7 million viewers). No surprise, but The CW didn’t land a show in the top 20. The full list—complete with viewership numbers—is after the jump.

1. The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | 25.9 million

2. American Idol Wednesday | Fox | 25.7 million

3. American Idol Tuesday | Fox | 24.5 million

4. NCIS | CBS | 20.2 million

5. NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 16.9 million

6. House | Fox | 14.2 million

7. Bones | Fox | 12.3 million

(tie) 7. 60 Minutes | CBS | 12.3 million

9. Two and a Half Men (R) | CBS | 12.1 million

10. The Big Bang Theory (R) | CBS | 11.5 million

(tie) 10. The Bachelor | ABC | 11.5 million

12. Desperate Housewives | ABC | 11.4 million

13. The Mentalist (R) | CBS | 11.1 million

14. 24 | Fox | 10.8 million

15. Castle | ABC | 10.6 million

16. The Good Wife (R) | CBS | 10.0 million

17. The Biggest Loser | NBC | 9.7 million

18. CSI: Miami (R) | CBS | 9.5 million

19. Human Target | Fox | 9.3 million

20. CSI (R) | CBS | 9.1 million

Source: Nielsen