TV Ratings : Roseanne and Tom Arnold Deliver

Roseanne and Tom Arnold delivered a one-two knockout punch for ABC in the Nielsen ratings last week. Figures released Tuesday showed that “Roseanne” and the debut of “The Jackie Thomas Show” were the top-rated programs of the week, and five other ABC series joined them in the Top 10.

Not surprisingly, therefore, ABC won the network competition, averaging a 13.1 prime-time rating, compared to 12.7 for CBS, 10.5 for NBC and 7.7 for Fox. CBS continues to lead for the season as a whole.

“The Man Upstairs” won the battle of movies Sunday night. The Katharine Hepburn-Ryan O’Neal drama attracted 28% of the available audience and became CBS’ highest-rated movie of the season, the network said. ABC’s broadcast of “Christmas Vacation” ran a close second, while NBC’s “Revenge on the Highway” trailed.

Fox’s “The Simpsons,” which featured baby Maggie uttering her first word (“Daddy”), placed 13th among the week’s 97 network prime-time shows, and “Martin” was No. 26. But eight other Fox series were among the Bottom 10.

* Who says you can’t compete against “60 Minutes”? Don’t tell that to Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, the twins who share the role of Michelle on “Full House.” They did just fine Sunday starring in their own TV movie, “To Grandmother’s House We Go.” CBS’ newsmagazine still won the time period, but the girls ranked No. 10 overall. And to add icing to the cake, “Full House” placed No. 8.

TV Ratings

Points Share 1. “Roseanne” (ABC) 23.3 35 2. “The Jackie Thomas Show” (ABC) 21.0 32 3. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 20.6 32 4. “Home Improvement” (ABC) 19.8 29 5. “Coach” (ABC) 19.0 29 * “To Grandmother’s House” (ABC) 16.9 25

Complete list, F10 (Each rating point represents 931,000 homes.

Share is the percentage of viewing audience.)