For History, a flair for the dramatic

History probably wishes it had gotten into scripted entertainment years ago.

It’s clearly very good for the network.

Ten months after its last scripted triumph, the “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries, History launched its new scripted series “Vikings” Sunday night on the heels of a dramatic take on “The Bible.”

The result was record ratings for the network, which finished first in primetime across a slew of demographics.

It was also the No. 1 network on television, broadcast or cable, on Sunday night, a rare feat for a non-sporting event on cable.

“Bible” became the No. 1 entertainment series this year among total viewers with 13.1 million, according to Nielsen, airing from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

It drew 4.14 million adults 18-49, placing fourth on cable behind AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” for the week, and 4.64 million adults 25-54.

Lead-out “Vikings” drew 6.2 million viewers at 10 p.m., and finished No. 5 for the week on cable in 25-54s and No. 7 in 18-49s.

History led cable in primetime among 18-49s, 25-54s and total viewers, its first such victory this season.

All this follows the success of  “McCoys,” History’s first dramatic series, which became the most-watched program in network history last year, with all three of its episodes drawing at least 13.9 million viewers.

“Bible,” produced by “Survivor’s” Mark Burnett and wife Roma Downey (“Touched by an Angel), is a dramatization of the events in the big book. It wisely marketed itself to churches and pastors beforehand, and the effort seems to have worked.

The show trended on Twitter Sunday and drove History.com to its best day ever.

“Vikings,” which has a freer creative hand, since it’s not limited to one source, is set in the late 700s and follows a Scandinavian warrior and his brother who decide to set sail for England in search of better fortunes.

Like “McCoys,” it’s equal parts history, action and adventure, which is why it probably resonated with a male audience. The show finished first in its 10 p.m. timeslot on all of television Sunday with men 25-54.

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In cable ratings for the week ended March 3:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): History, TBS, USA, A&E, ESPN.

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): History, USA, Disney Channel, TBS, A&E.

Top five cable news networks in primetime (25-54): Fox News Channel, MSNBC, HLN, CNN, CNBC.

Top five cable news programs (total viewers): 1. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Monday, 8 p.m.); 2. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Thursday, 8 p.m.); 3. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Wednesday, 8 p.m.); 4. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Friday, 8 p.m.); 5. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Tuesday, 8 p.m.).

Top movie (18-49s): Disney Channel’s “Tangled” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.47 million.

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “College Basketball: Miami/Duke” (Saturday, 6 p.m.) 3.42 million.

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (Sunday, 9 p.m.); AMC’s “Talking Dead” (Sunday, 10:01 p.m.); A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” (Wednesday, 10, 10:30 and 11 p.m.); History’s “The Bible” (Sunday, 8 p.m.).

Show on the rise: History’s “The Bible,” Sunday, 8 p.m. The first episode of the short-run series averaged 13.10 million total viewers, making it the most-watched entertainment telecast of the year on cable.

Show on the decline: FX’s “Archer,” Thursday, 10 p.m. The animated comedy averaged 956,000 viewers 18-34, down 15 percent from 1.13 million the previous week.

Tags: broadcast, cable, cable news, cable recap, DSNY, HIST, history, history channel, primetime, Talking Dead, TBSC, the bible, TOP, viewers, vikings