FIRST OFF . . .

After its first night, ABC’s $110-million megaseries “War and Remembrance” may be a bit less popular than the network and its advertisers had hoped. The first three-hour installment of the miniseries won the night Sunday but, according to preliminary A. C. Nielsen Co. ratings, was less than a smash hit. In overnight ratings from the 17 largest TV markets, “War and Remembrance” had a rating of 23.8 and a 34 share. NBC ran the movie “Back to the Future” and came in second with an 18.1 and 26 share. CBS had an 11.4 rating and a 16 share with a made-for-TV comedy Western, “Where the Hell’s the Gold?” “We’re a little surprised at the first night’s viewing levels, but it’s quality viewing at its finest and we’re very proud of it,” said ABC spokeswoman Janice Gretemeyer. (The Nielsen rating is a percentage of all homes with televisions in the markets measured. The share is a percentage of sets in use.)