Entertainment

‘Bang’ beats ‘Idol’

The geeks really have inherited the earth.

After weeks of being on the verge of beating “American Idol’s” once-behemoth ratings, “The Big Bang Theory” has officially come out on top.

The CBS comedy grabbed 16.1 million viewers — that’s 700,000 more than watched Fox’s singing competition show on Thursday, according to Nielsen overnight ratings.

This marks the first time a series has bested “Idol” in a head-to-head battle since “Grey’s Anatomy” pulled it off in 2007.

Despite “Idol” judge Steven Tyler’s stripping act, Thursday’s show was the least-watched episode of “Idol” since its 2002 premiere, according to reports.

The half-hour “Big Bang” starring Jim Parsons has been consistently tying or coming in as a close second to “Idol” since the two shows started airing opposite each other earlier this year.