Has Friday Night Lights been granted a temporary stay of execution? When Radar talked to NBC's young Turk Ben Silverman a few weeks back, he wasn't optimistic that the network would keep the football soap—the most critically adored, universally ignored show this side of The Wire—on air after the strike. (Our friends at Best Week Ever also tried to lobby NBC, but that didn't go so well.) Now, however, Variety is reporting that NBC is having "serious conversations" with The CW and TNT, among others, about the possibility of sharing broadcasting duties of the show.

While NBC worked out a similar arrangement with USA over Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the FNL deal is by no means a sure thing; for one, Silverman's asking price is said to be too high. Still, it's somewhat refreshing to see a major network make a concerted effort to sustain a program that, while not necessarily a cash cow, does have some semblance of artistic integrity. Even if it'll be canceled next time around when no one's watching it on two channels.