WEEKEND RATINGS

NBC may have found its niche. Not only is "Deal or No Deal" still one of the most popular non-scripted shows on television, but the new Bob Saget-hosted series "1 vs. 100" helped the network win Friday, a rare treat for the troubled network.

ABC remained on top on Sunday, courtesy of its dramas "Desperate Housewives" (20 million viewers) and "Brothers and Sisters" (12 million). Although the figures were down from last Sunday, "Housewives" was still the evening's top show and "Brothers and Sisters" won its timeslot in the 18-49 demo. The problem is, the new Sally Field drama still keeps only about 60% of its lead-in audience and then loses more than 10% of it in the second half-hour.

The show has however improved significantly since Greg Berlanti, the creator of "Everwood" took over as the show-runner, so we do hope this will soon be reflected in the ratings. Unless they take a strong turn for the worse it does seem the drama may be getting a full season. Two years ago when "Desperate Housewives" were doing somewhat better, "Boston Legal" was retaining an even smaller share of that audience. The David E. Kelley series is this year in its third season.