New sitcoms don't offer much to laugh about

Forget the fuss about "Survivor" dividing into four tribes by race, just look at the crop of new fall sitcoms. There's the older-man sitcom, "Twenty Good Years"; the pregnancy sitcom, "Notes from the Underbelly"; the wedding sitcom, "Big Day" — you get the picture.

It seems that every network was hunting for a group to point a show towards. Will couples expecting a baby, those same parents-to-be who pore over online baby bulletin boards, tune into "Notes from the Underbelly"? Will potential bridezillas and groommonsters who read every word on TheKnot.com watch the wedding craziness unfold on "Big Day"? And perhaps more importantly, will those who aren't planning a wedding or a baby tune in as well?

Older generations, those who remember World War II and the Korean War (not the one on "M*A*S*H"), are still pretty much left out when it comes to comedies, with one exception. John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor star in "Twenty Good Years," which focuses on two older men taking on brave, if goofy, challenges in their later years.

In our reviews below, you'll note button icons for each show, indicating whether we think you should make a note to watch the show when it airs, record it for possible later viewing, or skip it entirely.

‘30 Rock’
The big issue with “30 Rock” (NBC, Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. ET) is that it’s unclear what the show is trying to be.

In Tina Fey, it has a lead, writer, and producer whose strength is satire. Former movie star Alec Baldwin, making a nice second career for himself as a deadpan character actor in TV comedies, has similar strengths. Fey’s fellow Saturday Night Live alum Tracy Morgan is more inclined to slapstick and farce, as are most of the secondary actors.

This would be a great combination if Fey was still on “Saturday Night Live,” where the tone of the show changes every five minutes and the audience still laughs because each scene is totally distinct from what came before. But this series isn’t supposed to work that way, and will have a hard time playing to everyone’s abilities at the same time.

“30 Rock” makes a half-hearted effort to be a satire, but isn’t nearly as biting as “The Office” and the pilot relied more on farce and slapstick for laughs. The fact that Rachel Dratch has since seen her show’s character demoted from series regular to occasional guest star indicates that everyone’s still trying to figure out how to make the pieces fit. Morgan’s character has some good lines as a Martin Lawrence clone, but the show’s going to have a tough time standing out even on a ratings doormat like NBC.    —Craig Berman

‘Knights of Prosperity’
All it takes to sum up the concept behind "The Knights Of Prosperity" (ABC, Tuesdays, 9 p.m. ET) is a nod to its original title: "Let's Rob…," which alluded to the most excellent line, "Let's rob Mick Jagger."

Eugene Gurkin (Donal Logue) wants to open a bar, and he needs money. He concludes, as you would if a network were resting a comedy on your shoulders, that the logical way to get money is to gather his buddies and hatch a plan to rob Mick Jagger's apartment. What follows is a heist comedy, sort of an "Ocean's Eleven" where "11" is a reference to the collective IQ of the participants.

Logue, late of "Grounded For Life," is an acquired taste, and some of the other actors fall flat. He gets a superb assist, however, from Maz Jobrani as one of his pals. There are inspired bits of weirdness, including the hiring of an intern for a criminal enterprise, that suggest that someone involved is unhinged in a way that may come in very handy.

It's hard to know how well a high concept will wear over multiple episodes or seasons — ask people who have watched "Lost" — but "Knights Of Prosperity" has undeniable energy if not much substance.    —Linda Holmes