How are 2010's new US sitcoms faring?

US sitcoms are a lot like politicians. A lot of them get churned out each year, but very few of them are worth following. 2009 saw the debuts of the sublime Modern Family and Parks And Recreation, but it also gave birth to such gems as Sit Down, Shut Up (which mercifully took its own advice four episodes in), 10 Things I Hate About You (viewers found it hard to restrict it to that many), The Cleveland Show (because the world needs more Seth MacFarlane) and Hank, yet another failed Kelsey Grammer vehicle.

But what of 2010? Here's a look at some of this year's crop...

Mike & Molly (CBS)

What's It About?

Mike & Molly features the eponymous couple from their first meeting at Overeaters Anonymous through the first fumbling steps of their relationship. Along the way, they learn to cope with one another, as well as their respective friends and families.

Is It Any Good?

I once had a discussion with a friend as to whether The Big Bang Theory would still be any good if you removed all of the geeky references and nerd in-jokes. I maintained that it would be. However, looking at this show, overseen by Big Bang exec Chuck Lorre, I might have to reconsider my answer.

The leads are rather likable, while the supporting cast range from fun (Mike's cop partner) to profoundly irritating (Any of Molly's family). There are some decent one-liners scattered amongst the scripts, but a lot of the material on offer here feels tired and bland. There's a disturbing reliance on fat jokes (ha ha, Mike just fell through a table), and in avoiding the will-they-won't-they tension many sitcoms get bogged down in, the writers have created a couple so loved-up that they become hard for a bitter miser like myself to watch.

Has It Got Legs?

There's definitely potential for this show to sharpen up and become something worth watching on a regular basis, but at the moment it feels a bit flabby, if you'll pardon the pun.

It's also hard to see where they're going to take the show once all the major milestones in Mike and Molly's relationship have been covered. However, it's pulling in almost as many viewers as its CBS stablemate Big Bang, so they're likely to get the chance to show what they can really accomplish.

Mike & Molly airs on Comedy Central in the UK.

Running Wilde (Fox)

What's It About?

Arrested Development's Will Arnett stars as Steve Wilde, a self-centred billionaire with little idea about how the real world operates. But when his high school sweetheart reappears, she and her daughter move in and set about trying to educate him.

Is It Any Good?

Arrested Development is easily one of the best sitcoms of the decade, so the news that creator Mitch Hurwitz was teaming up with Gob Bluth himself for a new series filled me with genuine excitement. Unfortunately, there's something about this show that feels a bit flat.

Arnett's character comes across as a tired re-tread of Gob, but with the edges sanded down. And while Gob's plans often came to fruition in some way, Wilde is often there to be taught the error of his ways. And more often than not, rather than laughing at his antics, I ended up feeling a bit sorry for him not.

The supporting cast do a decent enough job, with a special mention for the UK's very own Peter Serafinowicz, who generates the lion's share of the laughs as Wilde's eccentric neighbour, but this really isn't half the show it should've been.

Has It Got Legs?

Running Wilde is an oddity, and quite different from the other shows on this list. Unfortunately, audiences haven't warmed to it, and it's been steadily dropping viewers since the premiere back in September. The last few episodes are set to air in December, after which Fox have announced they won't be ordering any more. Can we have the Arrested Development movie now, please, Mitch?

Outsourced (NBC)

What's It About?

American Todd Dempsey finds himself put in charge of his company's new call centre in India. Cultures clash as Todd adjusts to his new life.

Is It Any Good?

Outsourced is far more entertaining than its premise suggests. There are occasional moments where the jokes descend into lazy 'They do things differently over there' territory, but the show derives a lot of its best humour from the diverse ensemble cast of characters, such as Rajiv, Todd's ambitious assistant manager, who'll do anything to get rid of him, or Gupta, a strange and unpopular employee who tries to be the office joker.

The scripts, while not up there with the likes of Frasier or Modern Family, are witty, with several layers, and with wonderfully surreal moments thrown in. It's not perfect, but if it carries on along its current trajectory, this could be a very watchable show, indeed.

Has It Got Legs?

There's certainly a lot of potential in the characters and situations as they stand, and Outsourced is currently rating higher than its Thursday night NBC companions 30 Rock or Community, so I suspect we'll be hearing more from this call centre in 2011.

$#*! My Dad Says (CBS)

What's It About?

William Shatner stars as William Shatner in a small-screen adaptation of a Twitter feed. When Ed's son falls on hard times, the pair end up living together.

Is It Any Good?

The father-son dynamic has been milked for big laughs many times in the past, perhaps most effectively in Frasier, where the relationship between Niles, Frasier and their dad was layered with nuances and subtleties that drove the comedy. As you might expect from the casting of Shatner, $#*! My Dad Says (inexplicably referred to as "Bleep My Dad Says" by network announcers. If you can't say the name of your show on air, change the name of the show!) isn't exactly subtle.

It's a classic four-camera sitcom, with the larger-than-life characters and broad comedy this entails.

Shatner's character is a grouch with a heart of gold, whose role in the show is to say outrageous things and then stop shy of hugging someone by the episode's end, and he naturally gets given the majority of the show's jokes. Delivered with sledgehammer-like force, it feels too often like this show is trying to compensate for the scripts by saying ‘Hey, look, it's William Shatner!', leaving the rest of the cast to feel more than a little redundant. Still, it gets him out of the house...

Has It Got Legs?

Hard to say. Having rebuilt his career over the last few years with Boston Legal, the Shatner brand carries with it a fair bit of weight. The ratings haven't been stellar, but they haven't been abysmal either, despite widespread criticism. I suspect this will get picked up for a second season, but it's going to have to do some serious work if it wants to go further.

Raising Hope (Fox)

What's It About?

Twenty-three-year-old Jimmy is forced to raise his infant daughter when her mother is executed for the murder of several previous boyfriends. With hilarious consequences.

Is It Any Good?

Greg Garcia's follow-up to My Name Is Earl seemed, at first, to share a lot of similarities, an optimistic lead character in the middle of Hicksville, USA, and Jimmy's rather unlikable family took some getting used to. Fortunately, Hope shares its predecessor's sense of positivity in the midst of chaos, as well as its subtly amusing writing.

The main coupling of Jimmy and his potential love interest, Sabrina, works very well, and saccharine scenes with the eponymous baby are balanced with the cynicism of Jimmy's parents and mentally-ill grandmother. As sitcoms go, it's a slow burner, and certainly not laugh-a-minute, but it might be one worth keeping an eye on.

Has It Got Legs?

Raising Hope was the first full-season pickup of the 2010-11 season. Ratings haven't been stellar, but I suspect Garcia's pedigree and a strong critical reaction will carry it through.

Raising Hope airs on Sky in the UK.

So, that's the new shows we've been checking out so far this season. Are there any we've missed? Let us know in the comments box below!

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