After a season-long struggle to maintain its No. 1 position, NBC is enjoying an unexpectedly easy ride in the May sweeps and is all but assured of a big win when the final results are tallied on May 23. Movies and miniseries are doing the trick for the network; for the third week in a row, an NBC drama (Cry in the Wild) was the week's most watched program, and on May 12 a third In the Line of Duty movie handily won the Sunday-night-movie race, besting ABC's miniseries An Inconvenient Woman (37th) and CBS' Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love (53rd). In late-night, NBC's Tonight Show, which has lost ground to ABC's Nightline this year, fought back on May 9 with a high-profile appearance by Michael Landon that drew 29 percent of the viewing audience-improving strongly on the series' average share of 17. VIEWERS* TOP TEN LAST WEEK
1 26.5 Movie-Cry In The Wild: - The Taking Of Peggy Ann NBC, Monday, 9 p.m. 2 25.6 Roseanne 6 ABC, Tuesday, 9 p.m. 3 24.1 Cheers 3 NBC, Thursday, 9 p.m. 4 23.7 America's Funniest People - ABC, Sunday, 8:30 p.m. 5 23.5 Unsolved Mysteries 10 NBC, Wednesday, 8 p.m. 6 22.6 America's Funniest Home Videos 4 ABC, Sunday, 8 p.m. 7 22.4 Dinosaurs 7 ABC, Friday, 8:30 p.m. 8 22.3 L.A. Law 14 NBC, Thursday, 10 p.m. 9 22.3 Movie-In The Line Of Duty: Manhunt In The Dakotas - NBC, Sunday, 9 p.m. 10 22.1 Family Matters 13 ABC, Friday, 9 p.m.
BOTTOM FIVE
81 7.1 Parker Lewis Can't Lose! 84 Fox, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. 82 6.6 Expose 80 NBC, Sunday, 8 p.m. 83 6.6 True Colors 86 Fox, Sunday, 7 p.m. 84 5.2 Totally Hidden Video 88 Fox, Saturday, 8 p.m. 85 4.1 D.E.A. 90 Fox, Friday, 9 p.m. *IN millions week of May 6-12
