 In its original broadcast , " The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson " finished 18th in ratings for the week of September 15 – 21 , 1997 , with a Nielsen rating of 10 @.@ 7 , equivalent to approximately 10 @.@ 5 million viewing households . It was the highest @-@ rated show on the Fox network that week , beating King of the Hill 's season two opener " How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying " . 
