Only Three New TV Shows Crack Top Ratings List

The early vote is in, and so far in this strike-delayed TV season only three new prime-time programs--ABC’s “Roseanne” and NBC’s “Dear John” and “Empty Nest”--are bona-fide ratings hits.

NBC’s “reality” program, “Unsolved Mysteries,” qualifies as a marginal success in 33rd place. Apparently 33rd is enough to satisfy NBC: the network announced Tuesday that “Unsolved Mysteries” has been picked up for the entire season.

In last week’s A.C. Nielsen ratings, released Tuesday, “Roseanne,” starring comedian Roseanne Barr, came in second, ranked between last year’s consistent Top Two, “The Bill Cosby Show” and its spin-off, “A Different World.” “Roseanne” posted a 24 rating and a 36 audience share, pushing “Different World” into third place. “Cosby” was No. 1. Each ratings point represents 904,000 homes.

Also cracking the Top 10 was “Empty Nest,” winning ninth place with a 21 rating and a 37 audience share in its golden time slot of 9:30 p.m. Saturdays (following NBC’s highly-rated “The Golden Girls”).

“Dear John,” the new series starring Judd Hirsch as a man deserted by his wife, ranked 14th with a 17 rating and a 27 share.

NBC remains the overall ratings winner with an average 15.5 rating and 25 audience share so far this season. ABC follows with a 13.4 rating/22 share, and CBS, which ended last season in last place, continues that disappointing trend, coming in third with a 12.8 rating/21 share.

CBS did receive a boost with Friday night’s 18th-place ranking of “Dallas,” tops among the Friday night shows. But the series that follows it, “Falcon Crest,” and “Miami Vice” on NBC were beaten out by the ABC news magazine “20/20,” which received a strong 15.0 rating and 26 share, landing it in 25th place for the week.

Despite its overall ratings lead, NBC is tinkering with its Friday lineup. Low ratings for “Sonny Spoon” and “Something Is Out There” have led the network to replace them on Fridays for the remainder of the November ratings “sweeps.” The feature film “Police Academy” will substitute this Friday from 8 to 10 p.m.

Other new shows are performing far below expectations, although no new fall programs have been cancelled yet.

The CBS comedy “Raising Miranda,” about a father and daughter deserted when mom goes off to find herself, is the least successful newcomer in 68th place. (CBS will try it in an earlier time slot on Nov. 16.)

And CBS’ highly-touted “Van Dyke Show” and “Annie McGuire,” featuring former co-stars Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, respectively, ranked 63rd and 64th last week.

Also placing low on the Nielsen list: ABC’s “Incredible Sunday “ (55th), NBC’s “Tattinger’s” (54th), ABC’s “Mission Impossible” (49th) and NBC’s “Baby Boom” (48th).

The weak performance of the new network programs has proved a boon for the “fourth network,” Fox Broadcasting. Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted,” “Married . . . With Children” and “21 Jump Street” were competitive with most of the new network programming.

The first two tied for 54th place with “Tattinger’s,” and “21 Jump Street” tied with ABC’s “World’s Greatest Stunts” and NBC’s “Something Is Out There” for 59th.