TV RATINGS : ‘Married’ and ‘Simpsons’ Boost Fox

Fox Broadcasting earned its highest ratings ever on Sunday night with a special hourlong episode of “Married . . . With Children” that featured comedian Sam Kinison. The telecast ranked 13th for the week, reaching 16.9 million homes, according to figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. Fox also scored its second highest ratings ever that night with “The Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” a Christmas special that was viewed in more than 13.3 million households. NBC won the weekly ratings race, reaching an average audience of 13.4 million homes. CBS placed second with an average audience of 11.6 million homes, while ABC reached an average of 11.3 million. NBC had seven out of the top 10 programs, with ABC’s “Roseanne” ranking first and CBS’ “60 Minutes” placing seventh. The full list of ratings is on Page 14.

*”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” lit up Friday night for CBS, scoring the highest ratings of any program on TV that evening. The hourlong special at 8 p.m. was viewed by 14.5 million households in a time slot usually occupied by the low-rated “Snoops.” The Christmas program boosted CBS to victory for the entire night and helped the network place second for the week.

Show Points Share 1.”Roseanne”(ABC) 23.7 34 2.”Cheers”(NBC) 22.5 36 3.”The Cosby Show”(NBC) 22.2 37 4.”The Golden Girls”(NBC) 20.5 36 5.”A Different World”(NBC) 20.4 33 *”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”(CBS) 15.8 27