TV RATINGS : ‘Baby M’ Does Better on Second Try

Without much to draw prime-time viewers last week except reruns and the perennial bubbly chatter of CBS’ No. 9 spot “Miss Universe Pageant” (“Yes, I want to be either a brain surgeon or a model. . . .”), the second half of NBC’s “Baby M,” the compelling movie dramatization of the real-life struggle of surrogate mother Mary Beth Whitehead to keep her child, became a ratings winner at No. 5.

* Also winning a respectable audience: the cryptic final episode of NBC’s six-year old medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” in which we discovered that St. Eligius Hospital existed only in the daydreams of an autistic child. It ranked 7th among 68 prime-time programs.

Show Points Share 1. Cheers 20.6 36 (NBC) (repeat) 2. A Different World 19.7 36 (NBC) (repeat) 3. The Cosby Show 18.9 37 (NBC) (repeat) 4. Night Court 18.6 32 (NBC) (repeat) 5. ‘Baby M’ (Part 2) 17.6 27 (ABC Monday Night Movie) * St. Elsewhere (final episode) 17.0 29 (NBC)