 In its original broadcast , " The Dog and Pony Show " finished 15th in the ratings for the week of November 10 – 16 , 1997 , with a Nielsen rating of 12 @.@ 8 , equivalent to approximately 12 @.@ 4 million viewing households . It was the fourth highest @-@ rated show on ABC that week , following episodes of Home Improvement , Monday Night Football and 20 / 20 . 
