‘Twin Peaks’ Bow Garners Lofty Ratings

“Twin Peaks,” ABC’s quirky new soap opera--a mix of horror and humor set in a small town--won overwhelming viewer approval in the nation’s larger TV markets in its two-hour debut Sunday.

Preceded by an avalanche of critical acclaim that praised its originality, “Twin Peaks” averaged 33% of the audience for the entire program, overnight ratings for 23 major markets showed Monday.

In fact, viewers got increasingly hooked as the opening episode of the series went along, with the half-hour shares of the audience rising steadily from 29% to 33%, 35% and 36%.

National ratings are scheduled for release today.

“Twin Peaks,” a brooding, stately yet witty story that digs into the secrets of a small town in the Pacific Northwest following a murder, was created by David Lynch (“Blue Velvet,” “Elephant Man”) and Mark Frost (“Hill Street Blues”).

The debut crushed network opposition--a rerun of NBC’s “Jesus of Nazareth” and CBS’ “Crossing to Freedom,” a TV film with Peter O’Toole as a proper British gentleman who helps a group of children escape from Nazi-occupied France in World War II.

In its head-on competition with “Twin Peaks,” “Jesus of Nazareth” averaged half-hour audiences shares of 14%, 16%, 17% and 18%.

“Crossing to Freedom,” pushed back half an hour in some areas by the Masters Golf Tournament, registered shares of 17%, 15% and 16% in its 90 minutes of prime-time competition with the groundbreaking ABC soap opera in the composite 23-market ratings.

Los Angeles ratings for “Twin Peaks” reflected the major-market average as the show earned 32% of viewers. But in its first half hour, despite a 29% share, it was beaten in Los Angeles by the Fox TV sitcom “Married . . . With Children,” which won 34% of the audience and was the No. 1 show here last week, while “Twin Peaks” was a strong seventh.

“Twin Peaks,” a tryout for ABC’s fall lineup, which will be released next month, now moves into its regular one-hour slot on Thursday for its remaining seven episodes this season, opposite the formidable competition of NBC’s “Cheers” and “Grand.”

Anchored by Kyle MacLachlan as an offbeat, unlikely FBI agent, the debut of “Twin Peaks” included actors Michael Onktean, Joan Chen, Piper Laurie, Peggy Lipton, Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn amid an attractive overall cast.

“Twin Peaks” also benefited in the major markets from the lead-in of TV’s hottest new series, “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” which preceded the soaper with two half-hour episodes. The first half-hour attracted 34% of the audience, the second 31%.

SAM’S SONG: “Cheers,” which now has to deal with “Twin Peaks,” will be back at least one more season. And then what?

“People say that when I stop doing the show, it’ll be over,” says star Ted Danson, who plays bartender Sam Malone.

“But I don’t think that’s accurate. It’ll be a group decision. I think ‘Cheers’ could continue as long as you wanted. The writing keeps it going.”

Now winding up its eighth season, “Cheers” remains a ratings phenomenon for NBC. But Danson keeps branching out.

He’s producing a new NBC sitcom, “Down Home,” which debuts Thursday and returns Saturday--its regular night.

The star is Judith Ivey, the sardonic neighbor in “Compromising Positions”--this time playing a New Yorker who moves back to her Texas hometown.

And Danson, Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg are also making a sequel to their hit film “Three Men and a Baby.”

As for his thoughts about continuing in “Cheers,” Danson says co-star Kirstie Alley “calls me Waffle Boy--I change my mind every five seconds.

“I think we all get better with age, but it’s the writing. Look, the show went on without Shelley Long (who quit) and Nick Colasanto (who died). All the actors are really good.”

But after eight years, he admits, they have to “manufacture” 11th-hour excitement:

“We wait until the very last moment to learn our lines. If you watched a dress rehearsal, you’d be shocked. It’s like a high school production.”

BATTLE STATIONS: If ABC kills off “China Beach,” it could damage its quality reputation as NBC did when it canceled “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.”

Nonetheless, ABC is switching the splendid Vietnam series to Mondays next week against three tough competitors--”Hunter,” “Murphy Brown” and “Designing Women.”

Dumb? You answer. Meanwhile, “China Beach,” which stars Emmy-winner Dana Delaney as nurse Colleen McMurphy, is fighting back the best way--with a terrific show Monday.

It goes back to McMurphy’s arrival in Vietnam as an eager young woman, and depicts the events that start to change her into a veteran.

This is a must-see for “China”-watchers. And it’s a series to cherish.

SPEAKING OF MOLLY: And we always are, right? Well, “Molly Dodd’s” new episodes on Lifetime cable got a grand kickoff Friday with a behind-the-scenes special. Creator Jay Tarses said star Blair Brown “wishes she was Molly Dodd.” An actor quoted Tarses as saying it’s a show “for people who can tie their own shoe-laces.” A little smug, but that’s all right. Oh yeah, Molly’s pregnant this season. Said a writer: “We decided Molly should never be alone again.”

SPEAKING OF SYDNEY: We suggested last week that CBS switch Valerie Bertinelli’s “Sydney” to the leadoff spot on Wednesdays--flip-flopping it with “Normal Life” because she has stronger name value. Someone at CBS obviously was thinking the same thing. So that’s what happens starting this Wednesday--”Sydney” at 8 p.m. Will it help? Probably not much, if at all, at this point. But life should be lived sensibly. Another thing: CBS has an even better idea--testing “Sydney” between “Major Dad” and “Murphy Brown” April 23.

NEW AGE TV: There we were Saturday night, the only person in Los Angeles watching KCAL Channel 9’s 10 p.m. news, when the anchorwoman signed off saying: “Take care of yourself and those around you.” What is this--the nightly news or psychotherapy?

BULLETIN BOARD: C-SPAN is in Berlin Wednesday for three days of live broadcasts on Germany’s upheaval . . . Dan Rather and “48 Hours” check out Beverly Hills on Thursday . . . Richard Nixon gabs about his new book, “In the Arena,” with Bryant Gumbel in a four-part interview on the “Today” show starting next Monday.

BEING THERE: “In this town,” said Washington newspaper editor Lloyd Bridges in Monday’s debut of “Capital News,” “nobody minds your having a private life as long as they know all about it.”