'Gump,' 'Blue,' Football Block ABC's Competition "Forrest Gump" helped ABC run ahead of the prime-time competition for the first time in the current TV season, with key assists from "NYPD Blue," pro football and "20/20," based on results issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. : ABC's telecast of the Oscar-winning Tom Hanks film produced the network's highest Thursday rating since 1994 and depressed viewing of NBC's usually formidable lineup, with only "Friends" cracking the week's top 10. Even in reruns, those diminished results for NBC's Thursday stalwarts reflect the network's increased vulnerability that night with "Seinfeld" out of the picture. : "NYPD Blue" also continued to deliver strong ratings with last Tuesday's episode introducing Rick Schroder to the cast--a respectable 15% drop compared with Jimmy Smits' final appearance a week earlier. Friday's edition of "20/20," meanwhile, featuring an interview with Michael J. Fox, drew its second-biggest audience this fall. : CBS' Sunday lineup and the holiday perennial "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" lit up the ratings as well. "The X-Files" remains the brightest spot on Fox's lineup, even with tune-in for the show down nearly 20% this season compared with last year.

Prime-Time TV Rankings