TV RATINGS : NBC’s Laugh Lineup Scores Again

Same shows, different places: That was the story at the top of the A.C. Nielsen prime-time ratings last week. Just as they did the week before, NBC’s four Thursday-night comedies grabbed the first four spots, only in a different order. “Cheers” was the most-watched show of the week with about 16.8 million homes. There was a change in the news race, however, as the “CBS Evening News” regained No. 1 status after a six-week reign by ABC’s “World News Tonight.” CBS’ newscast averaged a 9 rating for the week, while ABC’s got an 8.9 and “NBC Nightly News” garnered an 8.5. Each ratings point represents 886,000 homes. For a full list of the prime-time ratings, see Page 11.

* ABC’s evening newscast may have fallen behind last week, but the news division could crow about the big numbers pulled in by the 10th anniversary broadcast of “20/20.” Friday’s two-hour edition of the news magazine was seen in about 12.1 million homes and outdrew the reruns on CBS and NBC. During the regular season, “20/20” averaged about 11.1 million homes a week.

Show Points Share 1. Cheers 19.0 34 (NBC) (repeat) 2. A Different World 18.9 35 (NBC) (repeat) 3. The Cosby Show 18.6 36 (NBC) (repeat) 4. Night Court 18.4 31 (NBC) (repeat) 5. “That Secret Sunday” 16.6 30 (CBS Sunday Night Movie) * 20/20 Tenth Anniversary Special 13.7 27 (ABC)