New comedies are rare, and mostly dreadful

Poor sitcom fans. Season after season, the networks focus all their attention on spies and doctor shows and dramedys, ignoring the poor viewer who just wants 22 minutes of don't-have-to-think-too-hard laughter on a weeknight.

It's no wonder why "Two and a Half Men" has a permanent spot in the Nielsen Top 10 -- it's a rare entrant in an uncrowded field. The days of "M*A*S*H" and "The Cosby Show" and "Mary Tyler Moore" are fading even further in our memories.

This season will change all that. Ha, just kidding — this season doesn't look any better, with two new dramas for every new sitcom, and the few comedies that are new aren't looking very impressive.

Laughs are already hard to come by in the real world these days. It's a shame we can't even count on TV land to conjure up some humor.

'Gary Unmarried'
Jay Mohr's new starring vehicle plays like a male-centric version of "The New Adventures of Old Christine." It's tough not to wonder why CBS thought it needed another sitcom about a divorced family — on the same night, no less. And if the pilot is any indication, this show has a long way to go before it can approach "Old Christine" in quality.

Mohr plays Gary, adjusting to single life after splitting with his wife, Allison, played by Paula Marshall. Just three months after their split, Gary learns that Allison is engaged to their marriage counselor, who was played by Larry Miller in the pilot but will now be played by Ed Begley Jr.

The kids, played by newcomer Ryan Malgarini and "Back to You" castoff Laura Marano, provide some funny moments in the pilot while the adults, for the most part, stick to pretty familiar domestic jokes.

One to watch? No. There's no doubt that Mohr, Marshall and Begley are talented, but the "Gary Unmarried" comes off as just another bland sitcom.  (Premieres Sept. 24, CBS, 8:30 p.m.)    —Victor Balta

'Do Not Disturb'
Granted, comedy is subjective. What makes one person laugh might make another groan.

Yet, if there is one single person in America who can be found chuckling at any joke delivered on Fox’s “Do Not Disturb,” he or she should immediately be sent for a medical evaluation. This might be the worst, most offensive sitcom to make it on the air in quite some time.

“Do Not Disturb” is so bad it makes NBC’s horrific “Coupling” seem like “Seinfeld.” So terrible that one would be better off buying the season one DVD package of last year’s “Cavemen” and watching that on a permanent loop.

Jerry O’Connell, coming off last season's unfunny “Carpoolers,” plays a general manager at a swank New York hotel who’s upset that he’s not getting the credit for the hotel’s turnaround. How did he do it? Keep the fat woman who thinks she’s the next American Idol downstairs answering phones where nobody can see her, and the hot dimwitted twentysomethings behind the front desk wearing high-heel shoes that they can’t walk in.

The jokes aren’t only lame, but offensive as well. This show's existence is strong ammunition that television execs too often reach for the lowest common denominator. Yet when the succeed with that strategy, they only fail.

One to watch? No. Please no. Don’t do it. Ever. (Premieres Sept. 10, Fox, 9:30 p.m.)   —Stuart Levine

'Kath & Kim'
NBC has had critical,  if not ratings, success with its Thursday night comedy lineup, both with a format imported from the U.K. ("The Office") and with originals ("30 Rock"). For its next sitcom, the network is importing "Australia's number-one show," as the previews tell us.

NBC vet Molly Shannon stars as Kath, whose recently divorced, 20-something, kind-of-dumb daughter, Kim (Selma Blair), moves in with her. John Michael Higgins, who's perhaps best known for the characters he's played in improvised docudramas such as "Best in Show," plays Kath's awkward boyfriend, while comedian Mikey Day plays Kim's husband.

NBC is now airing the new show at 8:30, following "My Name is Earl," a scheduling change designed to pair the two programs. In other words, like "Earl," the show finds comedy in its well-intentioned but often dumb working-class characters.

The stars and executive producers of the Aussie original will serve as consultants on the new show, which is being adapted by executive producer Paul Feig, who created "Freaks and Geeks," and executive producer and writer Michelle Nader, previously of "King of Queens."

One to watch? If it lives up to its Australian model, "The Office," or "Earl," then definitely. (Premieres Oct. 9, NBC, 8:30 p.m.)    —Andy Dehnart

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