by Orrin Konheim

Created on: December 28, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2009

Best feel-good sitcom: My Name is Earl, NBC

Dating back to the Andy Giffith Show and Leave it to Beaver, TV sitcoms historically were about presenting good wholesome images of Americana. Sitcoms all the way up to the 90's like Family Values, Step by Step and Full House followed up in this tradition as each episode would end with sappy music as the father would teach his kid a lesson. This genre has long since been outdated until "My Name is Earl" reinvented it in the best of ways. Set in a trailer park, Jason Lee stars as a redneck petty thief who upon losing a winning lottery ticket and magically recovering it discovers the concept of karma and sets out on a quest to right all his wrongs. The show is quirky, funny and even inspirational, and it has gotten better in recent seasons. The characters, particularly Jamie Pressley's ruthless ex-wife Joy, have developed significantly and the show has taken on more long-term continuity with multi-episode arcs of Earl in prison and in a coma.

Best cancelled sitcom: Miss Guided, ABC

Miss Guided is a show based on the premise that most high school teachers are overgrown high school students who chose their vocations because they're still carrying around that baggage. The protagonist, Becky Freely, is an eternally cheerful guidance counselor who takes a job at her old high school. Entering the first week of school, Becky has the confidence of a mature woman who has successfully grown out her awkward adolescent years and develops a passing flirtatious relationship with a an attractive Spanish teacher. That is until competition shows up in the form of a ridiculously beautiful English teacher who also happens to be the former homecoming queen from Becky's graduating class. Suddenly, it's high school all over again and that's when the fun kicks in. Judy Greer, in what might have possibly been her first starring role in anything (I'm used to seeing her play small roles, usually as a bimbo), is terrific in the role. Here's hoping it returns in some form or at least gets a good DVD release.

Best sophomore showing: Big Bang Theory, CBS

Big Bang Theory started out as little more than a gimmick. A ditzy young waitress (Kaley Cucuo) moves in next door to a pair of theoretical physicists and while uber-genius Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is oblivious to her charms, the other roommate, Leonard (Johnny Galecki), begins to harbor hopes of romance because this is the first time an attractive girl has been friendly to him. The show's hook is the hilarity

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