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.