RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Once’ Returns Higher, ‘NYC 22′ Holds, Fox Special And Hallmark Movie Low

It was a very slow Sunday night, with only three series cracking the 2 rating among adults 18-49. Leading the pack was the return of ABC’s Once Upon A Time (2.9/8), which was up two tenths from its last original three weeks ago. But ABC didn’t keep the momentum with another tepid performance for a Hallmark Hall Of Fame movie, Firelight (1.6/4), which was up a tenth from the last Hallmark movie on the network, A Smile As Big As The Moon. CBS’ The Amazing Race (2.5/7, 9.1 million total viewers) was flat with its fast national from last week, down a tenth from the final. The Good Wife (1.8/5, 10.3 million) was steady and ranked as the second-most-watched program of the night behind 60 Minutes, while NYC 22 (1.4/4, 7.5 million) was down only a tenth from its soft premiere last week as it seems to settle into A Gifted Man‘s pattern of a stable but low-rated freshman run. CBS (1.9/5, 9.9 million) and ABC (1.9/5, 7.5 million) finished the night tied in 18-49, with CBS winning outright in total viewers.

There was not much viewer excitement about Fox’s 25th anniversary special, which drew a 1.8/5 in 18-49 from 8-10 PM. (Wow, how has Joe Millionaire changed; photo above.) Leading into the special were reruns of the Married… with Children pilot (1.3/4) and The Simpsons‘ 250th episode (1.5/4), which ran a card that served as a tribute to the network and a subtle dig at sibling/frequent target Fox News. (Though the statement on the card is factually accurate as Fox News did not launch 25 years ago.) NBC’s Harry’s Law (0.9/3) was flat with last week, while The Celebrity Apprentice (2.0/5) was down a tenth from last week’s fast national, and two tenths from the final.

Related stories

Ratings Rat Race: Slow Start For ‘NYC 22′

RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Harry’s Law’ Hits Low, ‘GCB’ Rises

RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Rises, ‘GCB’ & ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ Drop

Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter