TV Ratings : Sitcoms Rule the Airwaves

While the Soviet Union was in turmoil last week, many Americans were spending their nights laughing--at TV comedies. Ratings released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. showed that the seven most-watched programs on TV last week were half-hour sitcoms--and No. 8 was the hourlong, lighthearted “Northern Exposure” on CBS. Seven more comedies rounded out the Top 20. It’s figures like those that have led the networks to pepper their fall schedules, set to debut this month, with even more sitcoms. Also setting the stage for the new season was the finish of the three major networks last week: in a virtual dead heat, with identical 17% market shares. CBS came out ahead with a 9 rating, while ABC had an 8.9 and NBC an 8.7. Each point represents 931,000 homes. The complete list of ratings is on F12.

* While the three major networks attracted only 51% of the overall prime-time audience last week, Saturday night was even worse. From 10 to 11 p.m., a mere 39% of the people watching TV were tuned to ABC, NBC or CBS. CBS fared worst with “Scene of the Crime,” which attracted a paltry 9% of the audience.

Show Points Share 1. “Roseanne” (ABC) 16.3 27 2. “Designing Women” (CBS) 15.0 25 3. “Murphy Brown” (CBS) 14.8 25 4. “Cheers” (NBC) 14.5 25 5. “Coach” (ABC) 13.7 23 “Who’s the Boss?” (ABC) 13.7 24 * “Scene of the Crime” (CBS) 4.1 9