A look back at must-see-TV congressional hearings
Viewing parties and even drinking games were expected during ex-FBI head James Comey's testimony before a US Senate committee. It's not the first time a congressional hearing proved worthy of prime time TV.
A hearing made for TV
Former FBI head James Comey is expected to testify before the US Senate Intelligence Committee and provide details on his conversations with US President Donald Trump. The president reportedly pressured Comey to "let go" of an investigation into presidential adviser Michael Flynn and requested the FBI chief's loyalty. It's not the first time millions gathered to watch live testimony.
'Have you no sense of decency?'
In 1954, millions of Americans watched the Army-McCarthy congressional hearings - the first to be nationally televised. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy (above), a strident anti-communist, faced accusations of having sought preferential treatment. A lawyer famously asked the belligerent McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency?" McCarthy's popularity plummeted as a result of the hearings.
Miltary brass tops daytime soaps
American broadcasters ABC, NBC and CBS carried the 1987 congressional testimony of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, in which he detailed his role in the Iran-Contra affair. NBC estimated 55 million viewers watched North admit to having lied about the illegal sale of arms to Iran to finance Nicaraguan rebels. The broadcast attracted five times as many viewers as the popular "General Hospital."
Two weeks of Watergate
The US was riveted to the two-week-long broadcast of the May 1973 Watergate hearings. A Senate team led by Sam Ervin (far right) grilled administration members on then-President Nixon's role in the break-in and cover-up at the Watergate hotel. A poll reported 71 percent of Americans watched the hearings live, with 21 percent watching for 10 hours or more. Nixon's support subsequently tanked.
Sexual harassment allegations during Supreme Court nomination
During the 1991 confirmation hearings for then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, attorney Anita Hill gave hours of testimony that her former boss at the Department of Education had sexually harassed her. Thomas denied all allegations and was eventually confirmed in a 52-48 vote. The hearing's live broadcast - watched by millions - helped bring workplace sexual harassment into public debate.
Cigarettes are not addictive but...
...I wouldn't want my kids to smoke them. That was the view of seven tobacco executives who testified before a House committee in 1994 related to tobacco regulation. The hearing was televised by CNN and drew an overflow audience to the hearing's location in the Rayburn office building. The testimony marked a significant shift in the American public's perception of the health risk of smoking.
Clinton's impeachment - not a TV hit
The House voted on December 19, 1998, to impeach President Bill Clinton for lying under oath and obstructing justice in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Clinton was acquitted after a 21-day trial followed in the Senate. But the Pew Research Center reported that a mere 15 percent of Americans watched segments of the proceedings.
Eleven hours and 4 million viewers
In October 2015, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Select Committee on the deadly 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It was the second time she faced Capitol Hill questioning on the subject. Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN all broadcast the hearing, with a reported 4 million viewers tuning in to those channels during the 11 hours of proceedings.