ABC TUESDAY STRIKES NIELSEN GOLD

Critics may lament all they want, but "Friday Night Lights" is still not getting any love. Well, apart from the 6,61 million viewers who tuned in last night. The bleeding has stopped as that figure is on the par with last week's levels, but it is insufficient to keep the show on air for a long time. NBC will stick with it at least until ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" bids farewell, but if the show does not improve on the first post-Dancing night in November, consider it dead.

"Dancing with the Stars" was most certainly the most watched programme of the evening reaching as many as over 23 million viewers in its final half-hour. Could the departure of Sara Evans have spiked up the ratings a bit? The show may even exceed "Desperate Housewives" this week.

"Help Me Help You" continues to squander that audience (10,87 million). NBC's Law & Order spin offs are doing just fine despite FNL's poor lead-in. "Gilmore Girls" on the CW however scored 4,77 million as opposed to 6,08 for a-year-ago telecast on the WB.