TV RATINGS : NBC Dominates First Week of May Sweeps

NBC may have faltered a bit over the last two months or so, but the network reasserted its ratings dominance last week, placing nine of the Top 10 shows and winning the first week of the spring advertising sweeps to boot, according to figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. Only ABC’s “Who’s the Boss?” (at No. 10) interrupted NBC’s clean sweep of the top spots, which included such shows as “L.A. Law” (sixth) and “Amen” (eighth) as well as the usual front-runners. CBS finished in second place, way ahead of ABC. (A complete ratings list is on Page 9.)

* The depth of NBC’s win even included the first part of “Something Is Out There,” a science-fiction movie that was roundly booed by critics. It aired Sunday, not usually one of the Peacock network’s strongest nights, but finished ninth on the Nielsen ranking chart.

Show Points Share 1. Cheers 22.8 38 (NBC) 2. A Different World 22.2 39 (NBC) 3. Night Court 21.7 35 (NBC) 4. The Cosby Show 21.5 39 (NBC) 5. Golden Girls 21.2 40 (NBC) * Something Is Out There (Part 1) 19.3 31 NBC Sunday Night Movie