Odd, the preview I saw seemed so predictable that it only slightly suggested some humor (which, thankfully, is vastly more humor than many sitcoms have to offer). With all the radio/TV hype, I was worried the producers were trying to make up for a lacking show. Comparing it to Malcom in the Middle, who's only saving grace are the multi-second bits of They Might Be Giants, seemed appropriate.

But maybe I'm a stiff critic of today's dry, humorless sitcoms (Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Friends, etc, etc, etc). And a stiff critic of today's endlessly, pointlessly meandering suspense shows (ie: will Lost ever be found? will X-Files ever get the aliens?). And critical of the infinitely intertangled (ie: main character never seems to run out of best friends to date and break up with) and laced-with-sex-to-get-your-attention dramas. And why are even the most innane shows so DARK these days; is that supposed to be dramatic? It's like The WB is in a brownout.

The only shows I've ever actually laughed at are Simpsons, Seinfeld, Family Guy (oh SO wrong), Will and Grace (cuts like a knife), That 70's Show, and Grounded For Life. Those shows employ tricks and humor (ie: Grounded's flashbacks which show what's *really* going on) which nobody else seems to find profitable.