Does the Darkness of the Ha-ha end tonight?

Rob Salem is a writer for the Toronto Star.
One of the reasons why he's so effective a TV writer is because he's a certified TV Geek.

Don't get me wrong. I like the classics. I love my Tom Shales and I still miss the L.A. Times' Howard Rosenberg, and I do dig the great Bill Carter, but you really should check out...

this.

Rob Salem's thesis, having seen some of the new season's sitcoms, is that...um...they don't suck.

Well, Entourage has gotten better this year. Everyone's crowing about Kitchen Confidential, Arrested survived (for now) and My Name Is Earl has real buzz.

Could it be true? Oh mama, say it's so. Say there'll be laughin' and gigglin' and all will be well! Say it's true, mama! Oh Mama, does anyone ever really appreciate the sitcom while it's alive?

Sorry. Channeling a bit of Thornton Wilder there.

There's a lot of journos out there who've written a lot of "the sitcom is dead!" articles that might have to walk some of those opinions back.

But then again, they won't. After all, they didn't back in the 80's, when they wrote all those same articles. You know, the last time the sitcom was dead. Before some dude named Cosby decided he wanted in.

Say it with me kids,

"Everything is cyclical."

Let me know what y'all think of the new shows in comments. Looking to see if people feel the love for How I Met Your Mother, Kitchen Confidential, the one with Stockard And Winkler that has the bland title I can't remember, the new season of Arrested, and (tomorrow) My Name is Earl.

Jason Lee has powers.