Just How Popular Is ‘60 Minutes’? It’s Beaten Network TV’s Biggest Shows For Decades.

BreakingBusinessJust How Popular Is ‘60 Minutes’? It’s Beaten Network TV’s Biggest Shows For Decades.ByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorJun 04, 2026, 03:20pm EDTToplineCBS News boss Bari Weiss is facing increasing criticism for her firing of veteran executives and longtime correspondents at “60 Minutes,” with one now-fired correspondent accusing her of “killing” the show that has been the country’s No. 1 news program for more than five decades, according to Nielsen data."60 Minutes" Correspondent Lesley Stahl interviews then-President-elect Donald J. Trump and his family in 2016.Chris Albert for CBSNews/60MINUTES Timeline1960sThe first episode of "60 Minutes,” hosted by Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner, aired on Sept. 24, 1968 and included journalist Andy Rooney in one of his earliest television appearances, an interview with then-Attorney General Ramsey Clark discussing the topic of police brutality, and an abbreviated version of the Oscar-winning short film "Why Man Creates." 1970sIn the 1979-80 TV season, Nielsen named "60 Minutes" the No. 1 highest-rated television show for the first time, estimating nearly a third of American households tuned in each Sunday and it topped legendary programs like "Dallas," "Three's Company" and "M*A*S*H."1980sThe show was only named No. 1 for one season in the 1980s but was ranked among Nielsen's top 10 every year for the entire decade—regularly beating out shows like "Dallas," "Magnum P.I." and "Dynasty"—building what would become the longest top-10 streak in television history. 1990s"60 Minutes" was the No. 1-ranked show for three consecutive seasons starting in 1991 and was more watched than "Roseanne" and "Cheers" at the height of their popularity. 2000sThe cable news revolution delivered a blow to most broad...