TV report card for 2007: A solid B-

NBC

Grade: C-
Highlights: Long the home of quality programming that too few people are watching, NBC has the goods but can’t get the word out. The Emmys gave the network a free publicity campaign when it tabbed “30 Rock” as the year’s best comedy, and deservedly so. And where doing nothing is doing best, NBC had the smarts not to cancel “Friday Night Lights,” which might be the best decisions the suits have made in a while. The move to, er, Fridays seems to have helped the folks from Dillon. “Life” might just be the networks’ latest pet project in that it’s the best new show on TV that nobody’s watching. Maybe it’s something in the water over there; British actor Damian Lewis and fellow Brit Hugh Laurie shine when they trade in their English accents.

Lowlights: Despite a massive promotional campaign, “Bionic Woman” failed to ignite. Lesson learned: Sometimes when you have an iconic series, you just leave it alone. “Journeyman,” despite nice work from star Kevin McKidd, is traveling to the land of one season and out. In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately category, “Heroes” continues to sputter creatively and has fans peeling off, which is a bitter pill for a network having an impossible time finding a signature hit.

Breakout star: Damian Lewis, “Life.” American audiences first got introduced to Lewis in HBO’s miniseries “Band of Brothers” and “Life” gives him an opportunity to be suave, strong and a guy who you want to see get his revenge.

(MSNBC is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

HBO: B
Saying goodbye to “The Sopranos” wasn’t easy, and HBO doesn’t dominate the competition like it used to. If quality was the only barometer of success, “The Wire” (which begins its fifth and final season on Jan. 6) would not only win the Emmy every year but bring the most eyeballs. Sadly, neither is true. “Flight of the Conchords” was a niche hit, but niche doesn’t pay the bills. Sexually explicit “Tell Me You Love Me” brought us into the inner sanctums of crumbling relationships. Some viewers enjoyed peeking into these characters’ bedrooms, others didn’t want to watch so much despair.

Showtime: A
Once pay cable’s ugly stepchild, Showtime is delivering both a larger viewing base and series that are receiving critical acclaim. The Golden Globes nominated David Duchovny’s half-hour “Californication” as best comedy while “The Tudors” earned a best drama spot. Michael C. Hall is up for the second year in a row for “Dexter,” which has a loyal following. And for the best show that nobody’s ever heard of, much less not watching, “Brotherhood” has fans who say its inside look at Providence, R.I., politics is as good as “The Sopranos.”

FX: B
Glenn Close and Ted Danson made for two of the most twisted characters all last year in “Damages,” which got more Golden Globe nominations than any other series. Danson, especially, as a corporate mogul who swindled millions from his employers, finally put traded his happy-go-lucky “Cheers” persona for some much-needed nastiness. “The Riches” had its moments, while the mediocre but renewed “Dirt” had the feel of a program desperate for attention, quality be damned. Now, give us the last season of “The Shield!”

Stuart Levine is a managing editor at Variety. He can be reached at .

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