WSJ Reviews some new sitcoms

THE WEEKEND ADVISER By SAM SCHECHNER

Networks Get
Back on the
Laugh Track
March 9, 2007; Page W4

Comedy consumers rejoice: The television sitcom is showing signs of life.

The format has been battered on broadcast TV in recent years, with the number of sitcoms dropping by half since the fall of 2003. But with sharply lowered expectations, broadcasters are indulging in riskier shows -- and a growing number of them are becoming hits among critics, if not in the ratings.

Tony Hale (left) and Andy Richter in 'Andy Barker, P.I.'

On Thursday, NBC will debut "Andy Barker, P.I.," a private-detective spoof created by Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff, a former head writer for Mr. O'Brien's late-night talk show. It joins a small coterie of relatively new, critically praised shows, including somewhat traditional series like CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" and more unconventional fare like NBC's "The Office," "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock," which is going on a six-week hiatus to make room for "Andy Barker."

There's competition on cable TV, which has helped revitalize the format with shows like HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," slated to come back for a sixth season early next year. Comedy Central has renewed its bawdy and button-pushing new series "The Sarah Silverman Program" for a second season, and TBS has ordered new episodes of "My Boys," its first original sitcom since the mid-'80s. On Wednesday, Comedy Central returns with "Halfway Home," an improvised sitcom about five ex-cons living in a rehab facility together. (10:30 p.m. EDT)

TV comedy is still troubled. Viewers have been watching 4.45 hours of comedy per week this season on average, down 8% from this point last season, according to a coming report from Interpublic Group's media-research firm, Magna Global. This fall, there were only 24 sitcoms on the broadcast networks, down from a high of 50 shows in the fall of 2003. The latest casualty: "The Knights of Prosperity," which ABC pulled off the schedule earlier this week.

But the dearth of "Friends"-scale comedy hits has created an opportunity for quirkier shows with narrower appeal. In January, NBC gave an early renewal to "The Office," even though it has averaged only 8.8 million viewers this season, according to Nielsen Media Research. The series is valuable, in part, because it attracts affluent viewers who are savvy with new technologies. Viewership for "The Office" grows by 14.6% when including playback within seven days on digital video recorders, the biggest percentage increase for any show on broadcast TV, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Horizon Media, a media planning and ad-placement firm.

The cast of 'Halfway Home'

This fall, the number of comedies on broadcast TV is likely to rise, according to Magna Global's Steve Sternberg. And about 20 of the approximately 58 sitcom pilots being developed for broadcast are workplace comedies, like "The Office." Kelsey Grammar is starring in a Fox pilot about a local news team. "The Thick of It," an ABC pilot from the creator of "Arrested Development," is a mock documentary set in the office of a congressional representative; it will be directed by Christopher Guest, who made "Best in Show" and "This Is Spinal Tap."

"Andy Barker" represents a particularly big departure from the traditional sitcom. It's thick with references to movies such as "Chinatown"; even its corny soundtrack is a joke on shows like "Magnum, P.I." It stars comedian Andy Richter as a doughy-faced accountant who's drawn into the hard-boiled world of private eyes, where he chides crooks for their poor financial planning. (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT, NBC)