The 60 Minutes interview of porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump, is what is called “must-see TV.” Undoubtedly swarms of Americans watched the segment, with the Q&A conducted by popular TV newsman Andersen Cooper. 60 Minutes could use the boost, particularly if interest in the show remains high after the Stormy Daniels conversation

60 Minutes remains the most watched news program on television. It is well ahead of any other TV news magazine or evening news broadcast. However, it is well behind TV’s most popular programs.

For the week of March 12, according to Nielsen, 60 Minutes had 1.87 million views in the coveted 18 to 49 age bracket. That put it in 13th place overall. Two NCAA tournament games were ahead of it. So were reality shows The Voice, American Idol and Survivor. Several dramas also beat it. These include NCIS, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy and, in first place, This Is Us, which was watched by 3.58 million people in the 18 to 49 age bracket.

Barely behind 60 Minutes were two other NCAA tournament games and Law & Order: SUV.

60 Minutes is 50 years old, having celebrated the anniversary late last year. In the late 1970s, throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, it was often ranked as the number one, two or three rated show each week. However, it has lost its gifted founding producer Don Hewitt and early stars, which included Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer and Morley Safer. With the departure of these journalists, the show lost some of its weight and punch.

It may take a porn star to get 60 Minutes back on track. That is, if viewers decide to watch again next weekend, when she has moved on to something else.

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