TV Ratings : Hill, Lange, Walters Reap Top Numbers

Three high-profile women racked up big ratings on television last week, the A.C. Nielsen Co. reported Tuesday. Anita Hill’s appearance on “60 Minutes” Sunday was seen in more than 20.2 million homes. Jessica Lange drew an audience of 17.4 million homes with her dramatic TV debut in the movie “O Pioneers!” that night. And Barbara Walters’ latest interview program attracted viewers in 17.1 million homes. The full list of ratings is on F11.

* It took ABC two years after “The Simpsons” swept the nation to get an animated series onto its prime-time schedule. It may be ready to be put to rest after one week. This was a programmer’s worst nightmare: Debuting on Tuesday behind “Full House,” “Capitol Critters” was seen in about 14.4 million homes and ranked No. 12 among the week’s 85 prime-time programs. In its second outing Friday, the audience fell to 10.5 million, placing it at No. 42. When it reached its regular time slot Saturday, the audience plummeted to 6 million homes, and the show ranked No. 79.

Show Points Share 1. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 22.0 36 2. “O Pioneers!” (CBS) 18.9 29 3. “Barbara Walters Special” (ABC) 18.6 28 4. “Cheers” (NBC) 18.4 28 5. “American Music Awards” (ABC) 18.3 28 * “Capitol Critters” (ABC) 6.6 12