‘Dark Angel’ Wings to a New Night

She sneers, she jeers, she smears the bad guys.

But her ratings could be better.

Tonight at 9 on Fox, “Titanic” producer James Cameron’s gloomy “Dark Angel” moves to a new night, seeking sunnier Nielsens for Jessica Alba, the series’ lean, mean star whose enviable array of glossy magazine covers has not yet translated into a substantial spike in viewership for the babe-on-a-bike adventure.

“Angel,” which posted impressive numbers for its October debut, gradually faded in the Tuesday-night Nielsen race, becoming a runner-up to two long-running sitcoms, NBC’s “Frasier” and ABC’s “Dharma & Greg.”

By giving their “Angel” wings, the folks at Fox are betting that the show’s futuristic fantasy can hold its own on Fridays.

Come fall, it will make another move to 8 p.m., where it will face NBC’s popular “Providence,” WB’s “Sabrina” and new CBS sitcoms starring Ellen DeGeneres and Daniel Stern.

Speaking of new time slots, “That’s Life,” the CBS drama with Heather Paige Kent as a 32-year-old New Jersey gal who enrolls in college, resurfaces tonight at 9.

Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino play her parents in this ho-hum series, which was fortunate to be renewed after earning marginal ratings during its first season.