Four new shows, including one only on the Web, suggest sitcoms are rebounding. Here’s a look:
“Nobody’s Watching”
Airing: 24/7 on youtube.com. (Type “Nobody’s Watching” in the search box.)
What it is: Two pals from Ohio are flown to L.A. to make the next great sitcom, only to find themselves in a reality show as a studio audience watches their every move.
What’s different: The concept works because the show is fast-paced, and the show’s writers have a lot of fun with haggard sitcom conventions.
But …: People are used to cartoons that make fun of pop culture. Are they ready for a live-action comedy that does the same thing?
“Lucky Louie”
Airing: 9:30 p.m. Sundays on HBO this summer
What it is: Comedian Louis C.K. plays a working-class dad in a scatological sitcom that makes “Roseanne” look like “Leave It to Beaver.”
What’s different: Almost a traditional sitcom, except this is HBO: Louis C.K.’s mouth is as dirty here as on his stand-up comedy specials and just as funny. Early episodes explore orgasms, racism and infidelity.
But …: It’s unnerving to watch what looks like an ordinary sitcom and suddenly have F-bombs start dropping.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
Airing: 9 p.m. Thursdays on FX this summer
What it is: Four friends manage the least successful pub in Philly while making one another’s lives miserable in this over-the-top adult sitcom.
What’s different: Though structured like a sitcom, it cleverly explores one topic a week in a tightly woven set of story lines that build to a laugh-out-loud ending.
But …: Nobody on this show is remotely likable, which is usually toxic for comedies.
“Let’s Rob …”
Airing: This fall on ABC (8 p.m. Tuesdays)
What it is: Donal Logue plays a schlub who decides he’s going to get rich by robbing Mick Jagger’s New York apartment. He recruits a gang of fellow losers to carry out his plan. “Ocean’s Eleven,” meet “My Name Is Earl.”
What’s different: It’s a comedy serial, playing out over a whole season as Logue’s rogues bumble their way into the rock icon’s million-dollar pad.
But …: Sometimes a little too cute.
