TV Ratings : NBC Sizzles With ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’

Theatrical films don’t draw audiences the way they used to on network television, but “Fried Green Tomatoes” proved Sunday that it can still be done on occasion. The 1991 movie with Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates was the top-rated program on TV last week, according to figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co.

NBC said it was the best performance by a theatrical film on one of the networks since the CBS telecast of “Star Wars” on Feb. 26, 1984. The showing was all the more impressive because it came opposite an original movie on CBS, “Blind Spot,” and the futuristic action hit “Total Recall” on ABC.

The movie, coupled with another strong outing on Thursday by “Cheers” and “Seinfeld,” helped NBC record a rare win in the weekly prime-time showdown. CBS and ABC tied for second. The ratings for “Seinfeld,” a repeat episode, were the highest in the series’ history.

CBS, meanwhile, saw its new series “Good Advice” get its best ratings with an outing on Monday instead of Friday. And “Walker, Texas Ranger” also won its time slot in its second broadcast on Saturday night.

Southland Ratings

Here are A. C. Nielsen’s Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. Each rating point equals 49,657 households.

Station Rating Program 1. 60 Minutes KCBS 19.9 2. The Simpsons KTTV 19.0 3. Cheers KNBC 18.8 4. Roseanne KABC 17.5 5. Beverly Hills, 90210 KTTV 17.0 6. Seinfeld KNBC 16.5 7. “Fried Green Tomatoes” KNBC 16.4 8. Home Improvement KABC 16.2 9. Married ... With Children KTTV 15.6 10. 20/20 KABC 15.2

Weekly Averages

NBC: 12.1

ABC: 10.7

CBS: 10.7

FOX: 7.3

Season to Date

CBS: 13.1

ABC: 12.3

NBC: 11.0

FOX: 7.6