TV Ratings : A Golden Week for NBC

The final episode of “The Golden Girls” on NBC sent the show’s ratings soaring last week, but the “golden girls” of ABC and CBS--”Roseanne” and “Murphy Brown”--did even better. Figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co. put “Roseanne” at the top of the weekly list of most-watched shows, having been seen in about 19.2 million homes. Meanwhile, “The Golden Girls,” which will be revamped for its move to CBS next season, attracted viewers in about 17.4 million--45% more than it had been averaging this season. That helped NBC win the network competition with an average rating of 13.1, followed by CBS at 11.4, ABC at 11.1 and Fox at 8.1. ABC was especially hurt by the poor showings of two original TV movies--”Stormy Weathers,” which ranked No. 54, and “Sexual Advances,” which tied at No. 61--and a music special starring Whitney Houston, which placed No. 64.

Points Share 1. “Roseanne” (ABC) 20.8 31 2. “Murphy Brown” (CBS) 19.6 29 3. “Home Improvement” (ABC) 19.3 30 4. “The Golden Girls” (NBC) 18.9 38 5. “Coach” (ABC) 17.9 27 * “Beverly Hills, 90210” (FOX) 14.1 21

(Each rating point represents 921,000 homes.

Share is the percentage of viewing audience.)

* It didn’t do as well as “The Golden Girls,” or even “Matlock”--which finished its NBC run with an eighth-place finish--but “Beverly Hills, 90210” racked up an impressive number with its season-ending installment last Thursday. No, not the household rating--which was good enough to tie the program for No. 23 among the week’s 85 prime-time programs--but the figure among teen-age girls. The telecast attracted a whopping 72% of the teen-age girls watching TV at the time, according to Fox.