Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2009

Can comedy stars strike gold on small screen?

If dying is easy and comedy is hard, then creating a network sitcom that wows both critics and a mass audience is darn near impossible these days.

The last series that slipped into that coveted category was "Everybody Loves Raymond," which went off the air in 2005. NBC boasted 16 sitcoms in 1997; now it has four. Fox hasn't had a hit live-action laugher since 2006, when "Bernie Mac," "That '70s Show" and "Malcolm in the Middle" were still on the air. Its latest offering, "Brothers," isn't likely to snap the cold streak.

The good news: 2009 may be the year that sitcoms make a triumphant return. Almost 40 will be introduced throughout the season and two -- ABC's "Modern Family" and NBC's "Community" -- are on the top of most critics' must-watch list.

Their secret formula: uncomplicated settings with relatable characters, the kind of folks you might bump into at a Boston bar or the Central Perk coffeehouse.

Tucker Cawley, who previously wrote for "Raymond," found himself pitching a show about a successful 50-year-old guy always hitting on teenage girls until he came to the realization that it was an awful idea. Fortunately, "Hank," the Kelsey Grammer vehicle about a 50-year-old successful family guy who suddenly has to downsize, landed in his lap.

"I said, 'Listen, I haven't seen a traditional family show in a long time on television,'" he said. "What happened to them? They're still part of America, I think."

"Hank" leads off ABC's ambitious two-hour block of new comedies, all featuring families who could be your neighbors. DeAnn Heline, a producer for "The Middle," set in a small Indiana town, hopes her show is a throwback to the network's glory days when the likes of "Happy Days" were making viewers ecstatic.

"We created this because we felt like there wasn't that family show out there anymore, and I think that's what ABC does well," Heline said.

Still, not all the networks are convinced that sitcoms are poised to make a mighty comeback. The CW, now aimed primarily at 18- to 34-year-old women, doesn't have a single half-hour comedy on the roster and doesn't have any in the works.

"I don't know if we can do sitcoms that are loud enough, noisy enough to get the attention that we're able to get with the dramas and with some of the reality shows," said CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, who previously championed the critically acclaimed but low-rated sitcoms "Aliens in America" and "Everybody Hates Chris."

Even those invested in new sitcoms realize they're facing an uphill battle, thanks to reality TV (which incorporates its own brand of slapstick yuks and peculiar characters) and repeats of classic shows that can be enjoyed online or in syndication.

"The days are gone when 'Friends' could get 25 million viewers," said Joel McHale, host of "The Soup" and the star of "Community," which revolves around a group of misfits trying to get through Spanish class at a community college. "It's a combination of getting good quality and competing in a landscape that is so crowded."

Sitcoms have less time to click now, too. "Cheers" and "Seinfeld" dwelled near the bottom of the ratings for years before surfacing to the top as great white sharks.

"The best thing about the world we live in right now is that there's tons of opportunities to create television -- through cable, the Internet, whatever," said Bill Lawrence, creator of "Cougar Town" with Courteney Cox. "The worst thing is that you have a limited window to make a splash."