• by Wayne Friedman , March 12, 2012

ABC’s stellar rookie show “Once Upon a Time” got knocked down a peg on Sunday, partly due to the change to daylight savings time on Sunday morning. But ABC still won the night. 

The show went south nearly 20% to a series-low Nielsen preliminary 2.8 rating/8 share among 18-49 viewers -- tying CBS’“Amazing Race” and Fox’s “Family Guy” for the highest-rated show of the night.

Along with slightly improving numbers from ABC’s “GCB” at 10 p.m. -- now at a 2.3/6 -- the network won the night with an average 2.3/6. CBS was a bit behind at a 2.1/6. followed by Fox at a 2.0/6. NBC scored a 1.5/4 and Univison earned a 1.1/3.

A week ago, ABC did better with 2.6/7 Sunday average numbers. CBS was virtually the same at a 2.1/5, as was Fox, at a 2.0/5. NBC improved slightly, rising to a 1.7/4, followed by Univision at 1.3/3.

NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” showed some signs of wear and tear -- now at a 2.0/5 versus its 2.3/7 of a week ago. But earlier in the evening, NBC was still looking for answers with “Harry’s Law” now on Sundays, as its 1.1/3 numbers matched a series-low of mid-January.

CBS’ big Sunday show “Amazing Race” was even with its results of a week ago at a 2.8/8. But later in the evening, at 9 p.m. “The Good Wife” drifted lower by 20% to a 1.7/4 --  down from a 1.9 rating a week ago. At 10 p.m., “CSI: Miami” was even with a 2.1/5.