TV RATINGS : Fox Sitcoms Top ABC’s ‘Mission’

With Thursday night ratings diminished by the Thanksgiving holiday, “The Cosby Show” gave way temporarily to a new prime-time ratings champion last week, “The Golden Girls”--but the network leader remained unchanged. NBC’s lineup reached an average audience of 13.5 million homes, according to figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co., while ABC’s was seen in about 11.7 million and CBS’ in about 10.8 million. The full list of ratings is on Page 9.

* The Fox Broadcasting network actually drew a larger audience from 8 to 9 p.m. Sunday than one of the three major networks it is challenging, ABC. At 8 p.m., Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted” earned a 10 rating compared to a 9 rating for ABC’s “Mission: Impossible,” while at 8:30, “Married . . . With Children” garnered a 10.5 compared to a 10.3 for the second half of ABC’s action series. Overall, Fox said it enjoyed the best Sunday night ratings in its history.

Show Points Share 1. “The Golden Girls” 24.3 41 (NBC) 2. “60 Minutes” 23.0 34 (CBS) 3. “In the Line of Duty ... “ 22.2 34 (NBC Sunday Night Movie) 4. “Empty Nest” 21.2 37 (NBC) 5. “Roseanne” 20.6 31 (ABC) * “Married ... With Children” 10.5 15 (Fox)