Viewers turned a Grinchlike eye on a host of Christmas specials and decided instead that there was no place like "Home Improvement."
Boosted by the No. 1-rated comedy, ABC won another weekly contest. It also got help from its other top sitcom, "Grace Under Fire," a Barbara Walters special on the year's most fascinating people and the Kansas City-Miami football game.The most popular holiday special was the No. 7-rated "A Christmas Romance," a CBS-TV movie starring Olivia Newton-John, according to figures for the week ending Dec. 18.
"Christmas in Washington" at No. 29 and "The Bob Hope Christmas Special" at No. 36, both on NBC, were the next most popular holiday shows.
For its 10th ratings crown of the 1994-95 season, ABC posted an 11.8 average rating and a 19 share of the audience. CBS was second with an 11.4 rating and 19 share, while NBC earned an 11.0 rating and 18 share.
Fox Broadcasting Co., which programs 15 of the 22 primetime hours, was fourth with a 7.4 rating and 12 share.
One ratings point equals 1 percent, or 954,000, of the nation's estimated 95.4 million TV households, according to Nielsen Media Research. Share is the percentage of sets tuned in during a specific time period.
Among the evening newscasts, ABC's "World News Tonight" finished first for the 119th time in 120 weeks with a 10.5 rating, 20 share. NBC's "Nightly News" was second with a 9.2 rating, 17 share, followed by `CBS' "Evening News" with a 9.1 rating, 17 share.
The Top 20 shows, their networks and ratings: 1. "Home Improvement," ABC, 22.1; 2. "Grace Under Fire," ABC, 21.6; 3. "ER," NBC, 19.8; 4. "NFL Monday Night Football," ABC, 19.5; 5. "Seinfeld," NBC, 18.1; 6. "Barbara Walters Special," ABC, 17.8; 7. "CBS Sunday Movie" ("A Christmas Romance"), CBS, 17.3; 8. "Roseanne," ABC, 16.6; 9. "60 Minutes," CBS, 16.2; 10. "Ellen," ABC, 16.0.
11. "Murder, She Wrote," CBS, 15.3; 12. "Madman of the People," NBC, 15.2; 13. "Frasier," NBC, 15.1; 14. "Murphy Brown," CBS, 14.8; 15. "20/20," ABC, 14.6; 16. "Me and the Boys," ABC, 14.0; 17. "Full House," ABC, 13.7; 18. (tie) "Friends," NBC, and "Turning Point," ABC, both 13.6; 20. (tie) "Love & War," CBS, and "Mad About You," NBC, 13.5.