New Baby On ‘Mad About You’ Delivers Top Rating

Television viewers were just mad about the Buchman’s new baby and cool to the finale of “Roseanne,” making the season-ending special of “Mad About You” last week’s top-rated show.

An estimated audience of 25.6 million tuned in to see Jamie Buchman, played by Helen Hunt, finally end her pregnancy.

That’s well above the show’s season average of 15.6 million, Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday.

It’s the first time the show has topped the ratings and the second highest rating the show has ever registered.

By contrast, “Roseanne,” which aired at the same time as the “Mad About You” finale, drew an audience of 16.5 million and finished only 15th for the week. On the final episode of her series, lead character Roseanne Conner revealed that the entire last season had been a fantasy concocted after her husband died.

Season champ NBC won the week with a 9.4 rating and 17 share. CBS came in second with an 8.4 rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s 7.9 rating and 14 share. Fox was fourth with a 6.4 rating and 12 share.

Viewers were also nostalgic for the conclusion of “Wings.” The end of the sitcom about an airline on Nantucket finished 22nd for the week. For the season, the show was tied for 76th.

For the week of May 19-25, the top 20 shows, their networks and ratings, were:

“Mad About You,” NBC, 17.6; “NBC Monday Night Movies: The Odyssey, Part 2,” NBC, 16.7; “Seinfeld,” NBC, 16.2; “Home Improvement,” ABC, 14.9; “Frasier” special, NBC, 14.1; “Frasier,” NBC, 14.1; “Men Behaving Badly” special, NBC, 13.1; “Barbara Walters Presents,” ABC, 13.0; “NYPD Blue,” ABC, 12.8; “Friends,” NBC, 12.6.

“ER,” NBC, 12.4; “3rd Rock From The Sun,” NBC, 12.2; “Dateline NBC,” (Tuesday) NBC, 12.0; “Daytime Emmy Awards,” ABC, 11.8; “Roseanne,” ABC, 11.6; “Drew Carey Show,” 11.2; “CBS Tuesday Movie: True Woman, Part 2 of 2,” CBS, 11.1; “20/20,” ABC, 11.1; “Law & Order,” NBC, 11.0; “Chicago Hope,” CBS, 10.9.