As historical documentaries go, the alleged final resting place of Jesus drew more curiosity from viewers Sunday than the Dark Ages.
Discovery Channel’s much hyped March 4 John Cameron-produced special, The Lost Tomb of Jesus -- which claimed to have found the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family within a 2,000-year-old tomb -- drew 4.19 million viewers and a 3.2 household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.
While falling well short of the network record 10.7 million viewers garnered by its 2000 Walking with Dinosaursshow, Discovery’s Tomb did beat out The History Channel’s The Dark Ages documentary, which pulled a 1.9 rating/2.29 million viewers.
World Wrestling Entertainment programming made USA Network the top-rated basic-cable network last week, scoring a 2.2 average rating in primetime.
USA’s WWE Monday Night Raw series was the top-rated cable show for the week, pulling a 4.2 rating from 9 p.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 26 and a 4.3 from 10 p.m.-11 p.m.
Disney Channel placed second in primetime for the week ending March 4 with a 2.0 average. It was followed by TNT (1.8), Fox News Channel (1.4), TBS (1.3) and Lifetime Television, Cartoon Network, A&E Network and Hallmark Channel (each with a 1.2 rating).
Nickelodeon once again won the total-day category with a 1.8 average rating. It was followed by Disney (1.3); TNT (1.1); USA (1.0); Cartoon and Lifetime (0.9 each); and TBS, Fox News and A&E (0.8 apiece).
