What Will Next Fall's TV Schedule Look Like?

For TV lovers, it’s that time of year again. Every day of news brings another story of a pilot being ordered for a celebrity. So far, it’s been Mandy Moore, Judy Greer, Dane Cook, and even Roseanne. Many of these celebs and more have all landed deals to film a pilot for a half-hour multi-camera comedy. This is because comedy is where it’s at right now. Some say this is because of the economy (we like to laugh when we’re down and out), while others says it’s more spurious. Regardless, here’s to hoping that when the networks choose which soundstage comedies to air, they will look back to some of the great sitcoms of yesteryear before making the same mistakes as this year. Read on to see what the networks should emulate: 1)      Friends – Friends was perhaps the most timeless television of the last couple of decades. Smart comedy, loveable characters and believable relationships made this show a fan favorite. Notice that Friends was free of the cheap jokes that pervade so many shows like Two and a Half Men or Are you There, Chelsea? 2)      Will and Grace – This sitcom knew how to broach somewhat controversial topics both sensitively and humorously. The networks have forgotten how to do this, and critics and interest groups are outraged over hits like Whitney and Two Broke Girls. Will and Grace knew how to be funny without being offensive, and sensitive without being melodramatic. 3)      Roseanne ­– Probably no other show has ever known how to tap into the psyche of the masses better than Roseanne. Roseanne reached out to the financially disenfranchised with laughs in tow. In this economic climate, it’s likely that a show similarly grounded in reality would do better than the recently canceled Work It.