ABC's 'Right' places 3rd
Fox still nudging ABC for sweeps score
However, the show outrated its adults 18-49 average from last year and tied "Soul Man's" timeslot average in that demo.
The Universal TV sitcom, which ABC picked up after NBC canceled it, debuted to a third-place 9.3/14 in homes and fell 8% from its "Home Improvement" repeat lead-in. It was second in adults 18-49 (6.2), building one-tenth of a rating point on its lead-in.
The Tuesday 9 p.m. premiere of CBS' "Public Eye With Bryant Gumbel" rated a fourth-place 7.8/12 in homes and fifth-place 2.8 in adults 18-49, behind the WB's "Dawson's Creek." However, the show increased 5% from its season average in the Wednesday 9 p.m. timeslot in homes, was on par with its young adults season average, and it improved the network's timeslot average in both categories by 4%. Fox worked its magic on the night, with back-to-back specials on "Breaking the Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed." For the evening, Fox averaged an 11.0/17 in homes and a third-place 6.7 in young adults.
NBC won the night in adults 18-49 (7.0), while placing second in homes. ABC was second among young adults (6.9) and third in homes (10.4/17). CBS placed fourth in homes (7.4/12) and adults 18-49 (2.7).
Sweeps-to-date, with just one night left, Fox is leading ABC in both homes and young adults. If Fox can pull it off, it would be the first time it defeats a Big 3 network in homes for a sweeps period, but ABC's strong Wednesday could save it that embarrassment.
Tuesday at 8 p.m., a repeat of "Home Improvement" won the timeslot with a 10.1/16 in homes and a 6.1 in young adults. CBS' "JAG" was second in homes (9.6/15) and fourth among adults 18-49 (3.4). "Mad About You" was third in homes (9.1/14) and second among young adults (5.7).
At 8:30 p.m., Fox took off with the second half-hour of "Breaking the Code," which was a repeat of the special that aired in November. It placed first in homes (11.1/17) and young adults (6.6) for the half-hour. The entire repeat averaged a 10.0/16 in homes and a 5.9 in young adults, which was down from the 15.0/22 it averaged in November. Part 2 of "Breaking the Code" averaged a 12.0/18 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
NBC's highly promoted return of the Lilith character to "Frasier" generated monster numbers at 9 p.m. for the sitcom, which won its timeslot in homes (13.4/20) and young adults (9.0) against ABC's "Home Improvement" (11.6/17 and 8.3).
At 9:30 p.m., "Just Shoot Me" placed second in homes (11.1/17) behind Fox's magic special, but dominated among young adults (8.3). A second episode of "Something So Right" placed third (8.3/13 and 5.9) on ABC, dropping four share points from an original "Home Improvement."
At 10 p.m., NBC's "Dateline" placed first in homes (12.0/21) and second among young adults (6.9), behind ABC's "NYPD Blue" (11.4/20 and 7.4). CBS' "Four Corners" was a distant third (4.8/8 and 1.8).
