NBC scored a television ratings win last week, while ABC avoided another historic low with the help of Dan Aykroyd and Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano.
"ER" was easily the week's most-watched show, solidifying its lead in the season standings, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday.In a schedule full of reruns, all six broadcast networks had fewer viewers than on an average week. NBC finished first with a 9.4 rating and 17 share, followed by CBS's 8.8 rating and 15 share.
ABC finished with a 7.8 rating and 14 share, barely above its dubious showing from a week before - when ABC had the lowest rating in decades for one of the top three networks during a television season.
ABC's bright spots last week were the premiere of Aykroyd's new comedy, "Soul Man" and Diane Sawyer's interview with the gangster Gravano on "PrimeTime Live." They tied for 13th place for the week.
CBS had an impressive showing by its Sunday night movie, "Rose Hill," while Fox's show, "The X-Files," had a top 10 finish.
Fox had a 6.7 rating and 12 share for the week. UPN had a 2.7 rating and 4 share, while the WB had a 2.4 rating and 4 share.
A rating point represents 970,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 97 million TV homes. Share is the percentage of those televisions tuned to a given show during a specified time period.
NBC's "Nightly News" won the evening news competition with a 7.9 rating and 18 share. ABC's "World News Tonight" had a 7.6 rating and 17 share, while CBS' "Evening News" had a 6.5 rating and 15 share.
For the week of April 14-20, the top 10 shows, their networks and ratings, were:
"ER," NBC, 21.9; "Seinfeld," NBC, 18.5; "Friends," NBC, 16.0; "Fired Up," NBC, 15.2; "CBS Sunday Movie: Rose Hill," CBS, 15.1; "Suddenly Susan," NBC, 14.6; "The X-Files," Fox, 13.0; "NYPD Blue," ABC, 12.9, "Touched By an Angel," CBS, 12.9; "Home Improvement," ABC, 12.8.
Prime-time ratings for April 14-20. Top 20 listings include the week's ranking, rating for the week, season-to-date rankings (parentheses), and total homes. An "X" in parentheses denotes one-time-only presentation.
1. (1) "ER," NBC, 21.9, 21.2 million homes
2. (2) "Seinfeld," NBC, 18.5, 18.0 million homes
3. (5) "Friends," NBC, 16.0, 15.5 million homes
4. (4) "Fired Up," NBC, 15.2, 14.7 million homes
5. (18) "CBS Sunday Movie: Rose Hill," CBS, 15.1, 14.7 million homes
6. (3) "Suddenly Susan," NBC, 14.6, 14.2 million homes
7. (21) "X-Files," Fox, 13.0, 12.6 million homes
8. (13) "NYPD Blue," ABC, 12.9, 12.5 million homes
8. (11) "Touched by an Angel," CBS, 12.9, 12.5 million homes
10. (8) "Home Improvement," ABC, 12.8, 12.4 million homes
10. (10) "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.8, 12.4 million homes
12. (12) "20/20," ABC, 12.7, 12.3 million homes
13. (17) "PrimeTime Live," ABC, 12.6, 12.2 million homes
13. (14) "Soul Man," ABC, 12.6, 12.2 million homes
15. (x) "Home Improvement," ABC, 12.0, 11.6 million homes
16. (15) "Frasier," NBC, 11.5, 11.2 million homes
17. (24) "Law & Order," NBC, 11.1, 10.8 million homes
18. "NBC Monday Night Movies: Nightscream," NBC, 11.0, 10.7 million homes
19. (19) "Dateline NBC," (Tuesday) NBC, 10.8, 10.5 million homes
19. (15) "Spin City," ABC, 10.8, 10.5 million homes
21. (x) "Drew Carey Show," ABC, 10.6
22. "Caroline in the City," NBC, 10.4
23. "Dateline NBC," (Friday) 10.1
24. "CBS Tuesday Movie: Deep Family Secrets," CBS, 10.0
25. "Cybill," CBS, 9.8
25. "Drew Carey Show," ABC, 9.8
27. "Walker Texas Ranger," CBS, 9.6
28. "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 9.5
28. "Mad About You," NBC, 9.5
30. "Cosby," CBS, 9.3
31. "Ink," CBS, 9.1
31. "Turning Point," ABC, 9.1
33. "Melrose Place," Fox, 8.7
33. "Step by Step," ABC, 8.7
35. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," ABC, 8.6
36. (x) "Body Human 2000," CBS, 8.4
36. "Diagnosis Murder," CBS, 8.4
38. "King of the Hill," Fox, 8.3
38. "Simpsons," Fox, 8.3
38. "Something So Right," NBC, 8.3
41. "Beverly Hills, 90210," Fox, 8.2
41. "Early Edition," CBS, 8.2
43. "3rd Rock From the Sun," NBC, 7.9
44. (x) "PrimeTime Live," ABC, 7.8
45. "Moloney," CBS, 7.7
45. (x) "Nanny," CBS, 7.7
45. "Unsolved Mysteries," NBC, 7.7
45. "Wings," NBC, 7.7
49. "JAG," CBS, 7.6
49. "Men Behaving Badly," NBC, 7.6
51. "Nanny," CBS, 7.5
51. "NBC Sunday Night Movie: On The Edge Of Innocence," NBC, 7.5
53. "ABC Sunday Night Movie: Tango and Cash," ABC, 7.3
54. "Boy Meets World," ABC, 7.0
55. "Jeff Foxworthy," NBC, 6.9
56. (x) "Boston Common," NBC, 6.8
57. "Family Matters," ABC, 6.7
57. "Millennium," Fox, 6.7
59. "Boston Common," NBC, 6.6
59. "Coach," ABC, 6.6
59. "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," CBS, 6.6
59. (x) "World Deadliest Volcano," ABC, 6.6
63. "48 Hours," CBS, 6.5
63. "Homicide: Life on the Street," NBC, 6.5
65. "Grace Under Fire," ABC, 6.4
65. "Nash Bridges," CBS, 6.4
65. (x) "NBA Basketball PrimeTime: New York at Chicago," NBC, 6.4
65. "New York Undercover," Fox, 6.4
65. "Pacific Palisades," Fox, 6.4
70. "Fox Tuesday Night Movie: Striking Distance," Fox, 6.3
71. "Living Single," Fox, 6.2
72. "Single Guy," NBC, 6.0
73. "Dateline NBC," (Sunday) NBC, 5.7
73. "Martin," Fox, 5.7
73. "NewsRadio," NBC, 5.7
76. (x) "Cold Case," CBS, 5.6
77. "AMW: America Fights Back," Fox, 5.4
77. (x) "CBS Reports: Jury Room," CBS, 5.4
77. "Cops 2," Fox, 5.4
80. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 5.3
80. "GUN," ABC, 5.3
82. "ABC Monday Night Movie: Reality Bites," ABC, 5.1
83. (x) "CBS Discovery Channel: A Meerkat Family Saga," CBS, 5.0
83. "High Incident," ABC, 5.0
83. (x) "World Incredible Animal Rescue," Fox, 5.0
86. "Cops," Fox, 4.8
87. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 4.6
88. "Leaving L.A.," ABC, 4.3
88. "Relativity," ABC, 4.3
90. "Lois & Clark," ABC, 4.2
90. (x) "Pacific Palisades," Fox, 4.2
90. "Sliders," Fox, 4.2
93. (x) "NBA Showtime," (Saturday) NBC, 3.5
94. "Star Trek: Voyager," UPN, 3.3
95. "Wayans Brothers," WB, 3.1
96. "Sentinel," UPN, 3.0
96. "Smart Guy," WB, 3.0
98. "Jamie Foxx Show," WB, 2.9
98. "Moesha," UPN, 2.9
100. "Unhappily Ever After," WB, 2.8
101. "Sister, Sister," WB, 2.7
102. (x) "Hollywood Confidential," UPN, 2.6
102. "Social Studies," UPN, 2.6
104. "7th Heaven," WB, 2.4
105. "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer," WB, 2.3
106. "Steve Harvey Show," WB, 2.2
107. "Life With Roger," WB, 2.1
107. "Parent 'Hood," WB, 2.1
109. "Brotherly Love," (Sunday) WB, 1.9
109. "Burning Zone," UPN, 1.9
111. "Nick Freno: License to Teach," WB, 1.8