TV RATINGS : Fans Loyal to ‘L.A. Law,’ Not to ‘Kojak’

ABC’s normally strong Tuesday lineup dipped a bit in the ratings last week, possibly because many of its viewers were out trick-or-treating, enabling NBC to score a decisive victory in the weekly ratings race. Figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. showed that seven of the week’s 10 most-watched programs were on NBC. NBC’s prime-time programs averaged a 15.2 rating, compared to 13.7 for ABC and 11.9 for CBS. Each ratings point represents 921,000 homes. ABC also was hurt on Saturday, where the return of “Kojak” attracted only 16% of the available audience. The full list of ratings is on Page 9.

* Postponed by baseball playoffs and the World Series, “L.A. Law” finally launched its fourth season last Thursday--and found its fans waiting loyally. The legal drama, which won the Emmy Award as last year’s best drama series, easily won its time period, placing ninth among the week’s 92 prime-time programs and matching the ratings of its premiere last season.

Show Points Share 1.”The Cosby Show”(NBC) 25.4 39 2.”A Different World”(NBC) 24.7 38 3.”Cheers”(NBC) 24.4 37 4.”Roseanne”(ABC) 23.8 37 5.”The Golden Girls”(NBC) 21.3 36 *”L.A. Law”(NBC) 20.1 34