• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 16, 2007

Entertainment Weekly pegs "Friday Night Lights" as "network TV's best drama." Nielsen says it ranks 104th (other genres included). So, NBC is turning to sister network Bravo to try and close the gap.

The cable network will air reruns every Friday and Saturday, starting tonight and running through April, hoping to somehow give "Friday Night" sampling. The Bravo audience--upscale and female--could dovetail with the appeal of the drama. On Saturdays, Bravo will air three back-to-back episodes, but in a decidedly low-impact spot beginning at 2 p.m.

NBC has tried several high-profile on-air promotional tactics before, such as spots during its NFL broadcasts last fall and a test in the time slot following first-year hit "Heroes." But the needle hasn't moved much.

The NBC season finale is April 11 at 8 p.m., perhaps the series finale, after which it may be a candidate for Bravo's broadband channel: BrilliantButCancelled.com. After all, per Nielsen, "Lights" has posted a lackluster 2.3 in the 18-to-49 demo this season, becoming network TV's 104th-rated program.

The show does, however, have a core group of devoted fans--and could have a shot at another season. That is, if NBC considers it key to enhancing the net's position as the home for quality entertainment--a reputation that has taken a hit over the years, due to some questionable reality offerings, among other reasons.