`MARRIED' GIMMICK FAILS TO SAVE `LOVE AND MARRIAGE'.

Byline: Keith Marder Daily News Television Writer

The ``Married ... With Children'' experiment didn't work.

Despite an ad campaign featuring Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) disco-dancing in a white suit, the enthusiasm didn't work up to a ``Saturday Night Fever'' pitch.

Its latest failed running mate, ``Love and Marriage,'' has been canceled, and ``Married ... With Children'' has been shipped back to Sunday night.

The sitcoms' Saturday night slot on the Fox network has been filled by ``The New America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back,'' premiering at 9 p.m. Nov. 9 The hourlong program purports to be a more dynamic version, tackling issues including victims' rights, child protection, bad cops, gun control, early parole of sex offenders, revolving-door justice and Death Row inmates who are granted extended appeals.

The original series, which was praised by law-enforcement officials, was credited with being responsible for the capture of 432 fugitives and the return of 20 missing children since its debut on Feb. 7, 1988. But it was not believed to have enough potential for profit.

``Married ... With Children's'' return to Sundays will start at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 - which is awfully early for such a risque show - with two back-to-back episodes weekly. Oct. 12 will be its last Saturday. ``Love and Marriage,'' which was in production as late as Monday, had its final airing last Saturday.

Also on Fox, ``Ned and Stacey'' will begin its second season Nov. 17.

Here are related shifts in the Fox schedule:

``The Simpsons'' Halloween mini-marathon on Oct. 27 has been extended by 30 minutes (7-9 p.m.) and will be followed by the first airing of ``The X-Files'' in its 9 p.m. Sunday time period. This could change if the World Series goes to seven games. If that happens, an hour of ``The Simpsons'' package of horror will move to Halloween night Oct. 31, and ``The X-Files'' Sunday night debut will move to Nov. 3.

The eighth-season premiere of ``The Simpsons'' on Nov. 3 finds Homer moving his family out of Springfield. Two episodes will air, beginning at 8 p.m. Nov. 3 and 10, followed at 9 by ``The X-Files.''

Meanwhile, the main networks finally are have an interesting battle.

Turns out baseball was anything but very, very good to NBC.

The usual ratings winner lagged behind the regular also-ran, CBS, as three postseason major league baseball games were inserted into the prime-time schedule on NBC.

Must C-BS, buoyed by the Country Music Association Awards, received its first in-season win since March.

``No disrespect to CBS because they had a nice week,'' said Mike Nelson, NBC director of programming information. ``But it can be explained by having three nights of baseball in prime time, basically.''

NBC, which won the first two weeks of the season, aired baseball games on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

``The proof is in the pudding,'' Nelson said. ``Baseball has had problems ever since the strike and the ratings have been lower.''

CBS manager of press information Ed Harrison did not dispute Nelson's logic or the fact that the country music awards helped carry the week. And he said he was pleased that CBS' reverting to its traditional style of shooting for older viewers rather than fighting for the 18- to 49-year-olds, its strategy last year, got the network back in the game.

``Let's face it, NBC is going to win,'' Harrison said of the ratings for the entire television season. ``NBC is so dominant, I don't think it's any secret they are going to finish the season in first. The real battle is for second, between CBS and ABC, and I think some people are surprised where we are in three weeks and that ABC is where they are after three weeks.''

CBS' new hit, ``Cosby,'' trails NBC's ``The Jeff Foxworthy Show'' in the 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 age groups. CBS' ``Pearl'' is behind NBC's ``Mr. Rhodes'' in both groups.

CBS, up 4 percent in these two key age groups, has shown the most growth this season. NBC, which Nelson said is also up 3 to 4 percent in these two groups, is about even in overall ratings. CBS is up 11 percent, ABC is down 15 percent and Fox is down 16.

ABC is still awaiting the debuts of ``Murder One'' tonight and ``NYPD Blue'' next week.