Friday Night Lights

Last week's ratings didn't bode well for Friday Night Lights. Here are a few notes on the ratings of FNL and other shows from the Orange County Register ...

The swap: The new "Women's Murder Club," starring former "Law & Order" stunner Angie Harmon, racked up huge numbers in its debut - huge for a Friday night, anyway. A rating of 6 is usually enough to win a Friday; "Women's Murder Club" pulled a 7.3. Meanwhile, the male-centered "Big Shots" gives away half of the female-heavy "Grey's Anatomy" audience at 10 p.m. Thursdays. How many weeks until "Women's" takes over for the men?

The flop: ABC promoted the heck out of "Cavemen" before the season, but to little use. The premiere hardly turned in startling ratings - and about 20 percent of the audience didn't bother to come back for week two. It's not as if the competition - "NCIS," "Bones" and "The Singing Bee" can't be beat; "Cavemen" just makes it look that way. Because ABC invested so much capital, "Cavemen" might get a little extra rope, but chances are the show will be extinct soon.

The sadness: Loyal-viewer anguish and critical support helped "Friday Night Lights" get a second season. NBC even did what so many hopefuls had asked: moved the show to Friday nights. This didn't help the ratings, which were about level with season one the first week and fell to "Women's Murder Club" in week two. It doesn't help the case for "Friday Night Lights" that its lead-in, "Deal or No Deal" wins at 8 p.m. while it runs third at 9.

Other notes: NBC had great hopes for "Bionic Woman," but it is settling into a disappointing third in its Wednesday slot, behind "Criminal Minds" and "Private Practice." Meanwhile, NBC's Monday night sci-fi lineup is slipping with "Heroes" way off from last season, and "Chuck" and "Journeyman" third in their slots.