There are so many ways for a woman to be wronged--by her husband, boss, government, water supply--and the Lifetime network seems to have explored them all. Lifetime bills itself as Television for Women, but some critics have dubbed it Television for Victims. The truth is, Lifetime is no one's patsy. Last month it was the No. 1-rated cable network in prime time, as it has been every month this year. It also averaged the No. 1 spot for all of 2001.
Lifetime, which debuted in 1984, has thrived despite the introduction of two other networks courting the female gender: Oxygen, which...