Fresh ‘FM’ Scores Big Amid Reruns

Television viewers tuning into prime-time network shows are going for the laughs and a bit of deja vu, with most of the top-rated shows being reruns of situation comedies, but an original episode of “FM” caused its own kind of static, it was reported Tuesday.

NBC’s “Cheers” (NBC) was the No. 1 show last week in the Nielsen ratings, followed by “A Different World.” “Roseanne” (ABC), the perennial contender with “Cheers” for the top spot, got bumped into a tie for third place with CBS’s “Designing Women,” up from 10th place.

Situation comedies commanded nearly all the top spots, but seventh place was a three-way tie shared by CBS’s “60 Minutes” and NBC’s “Cosby Show” and “Golden Girls.”

The only other “serious” show was “Unsolved Mysteries” (NBC) in 10th place.

In a real surprise, an original episode of the NBC sitcom “FM,” which aired Thursday night at 9:30, finished in fifth place. In another bit of deja vu, the show, which has boomeranged all over NBC’s schedule, also finished in fifth place on another Thursday night at 9:30--Aug. 17, 1989.

NBC’s full-court press of “Quantum Leap”--an unprecedented scheduling move of showing episodes for five successive nights--seemed to grab viewers’ attention.

More than 60 million people tuned in and the show won its 10-11 p.m. cumulative time period with every episode averaging a 20 share or better. The series had its highest ranking ever on Thursday night, finishing in 12th place and Tuesday’s installment was ranked 19th.

Fox’s animated-alienated sitcom, “The Simpsons,” moved to 11th place, down from a three-way tie for 10th last week.

The network’s Sunday broadcast of “Married . . . With Children” dropped to a tie for 14th place, compared with its tie for seventh place the week before. A Saturday night airing of “Married” finished in 81st place. So much for who’s watching TV on Saturday night.

Another Fox show, “In Living Color,” dropped to a three-way tie for 28th place, compared with a 14th place spot the week before.

The runaway hit of the mid-season replacements, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” posted a gain to 17th place, up from 21st place the previous week.

In the Sunday night movie race, NBC’s rebroadcast of “Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace,” won a verdict in 14th place; ABC’s “The Dead Zone” was comatose in 42nd place, and CBS’s “Desperate for Love” remained unrequited in 49th place.

In the night-by-night race, NBC tied with CBS on Monday, and held the lead for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CBS held court on Sunday and ABC had Friday night all to itself.

NBC won the week ending July 1 with a 10.4 rating and a 21 share. ABC stayed in second place for another week with an 8.7 rating and an 18 share, while CBS had an 8.6 rating and an 17 share.

The official 30-week prime time season ended Sunday, April 15, but working on a 52-week season, as of the week ending July 1, NBC had a year-to-date rating of 13.7 and a 23 share. ABC was second with a 12.2 rating and a 21 share and CBS third, with an 11.6 rating and a 20 share.

In the evening news race, ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Peter Jennings stayed in the lead with a 9.5 rating and a 20 share. “CBS Evening News” with Dan Rather was second with an 7.9 rating and an 18 share, while “NBC Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw was third with an 7.1 rating and a 16 share.

THE TOP 10 SHOWS The top programs for the week ending Sunday according to the A.C. Nielsen Co.:

1. Cheers (NBC)

2. A Different World (NBC)

3. (tie) Designing Women (CBS),

Roseanne (ABC)

5. FM (NBC)

6. Empty Nest (NBC)

7. (tie) The Cosby Show (NBC),

Golden Girls (NBC),

60 Minutes (CBS)

10. Unsolved Mysteries