Overnight TV Ratings -- Dimming "Friday Night Lights"

Another terrific episode for "Friday Night Lights" -- every time I think I know the sentimental or obvious step they might take the show surprises me. Sadly, it also dropped again in the ratings. What a shame if NBC doesn't pull it from the schedule and re-launch it in January. For heaven's sake, it's a sports show airing next to baseball post-season action. "Gilmore Girls" is also hurting, along with everything on CW -- they throw out a lot of demo info and apples and oranges comparisons, but the simple truth is that last season at this time the "Girls" reached 6 million viewers and this season they reached 4.77 million. That's a big drop for a small show like this one. And the same is true for most of the CW shows except for "Top Model." The new network needs some new shows to spark it. Hey, how about "Friday Night Lights" for the midseason?The overnights per MediaWeek's Marc Berman:

8 p.m.
1. Dancing With The Stars (ABC) -- 21.08 million
2. NCIS (CBS) -- 15.75 million
3. Baseball (FOX) -- 10.25 million
4. Friday Night Lights (NBC) -- 6.61 million
5. Gilmore Girls (CW) -- 4.77 million

9 p.m.
1. Dancing -- 21.08/Help Me Help You (ABC) -- 10.07 million
2. The Unit (CBS) -- 12.82 million
3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC) -- 10.91 million
4. Baseball (FOX) -- 10.25 million
5. Veronica Mars (CW) -- 3.22 million

10 p.m.
1. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) -- 12.83 million
2. Baseball (FOX) -- Unavailable but audience higher as game peaked
3. Boston Legal (ABC) -- 10.85 million
4. Criminal Minds rerun (CBS) -- 10.33 million