TV RATINGS : ‘Blossom’: Bouquets for NBC?

“Blossom” showed signs of flowering with the ratings for its season debut on NBC last week. Figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. put it in fourth place among 89 programs that aired on the four networks in prime time. But that was when it was scheduled in NBC’s powerhouse Thursday lineup. The bloom was off a short time later when ratings came in for the show’s first broadcast in its regular Monday spot: “Blossom” ran third behind CBS’ “Major Dad” and ABC’s “MacGyver.” The episode last week was seen in about 18.7 million homes; Monday’s was viewed in about 11.7 million. NBC won the ratings race last week, narrowly beating CBS, which was helped by the runover into prime time of Sunday’s Bears-Saints football playoff game. The full list of ratings is on F12.

* Sunday’s premiere of “Real Life With Jane Pauley” on NBC attracted only 11% of the viewers at 8 p.m., but NBC was crowing nonetheless. Officials said that performance represented a 20% ratings increase over what previous NBC programs had been averaging in the time slot this season. They were even happier with “Expose” at 8:30, which drew 14% of the audience and did 30% better than previous NBC offerings there.

Show Points Share 1. “NFL Football: Chicago vs. New Orleans” (CBS) 26.9 44 2. “Cheers” (NBC) 24.4 37 3. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 23.7 36 4. “Blossom” (NBC) 20.1 38 5. “The Cosby Show” (NBC) 20.0 30 * “Real Life With Jane Pauley” (NBC) 7.3 11