Worst

CBS’s Monday Night comedy block, whose season premiere is scheduled for September 22, is the closest thing there is to an old-school, strong-down-the-line comedy block. NBC’s Thursday night lineup has certainly made a strong comeback, but the ratings struggles of 30 Rock, the exile of Scrubs to ABC, and the creative struggles of My Name is Earl have left more holes there than NBC probably expected. CBS’s Monday night lineup is very traditional, consisting entirely of multi-camera shows, and it’s anchored by the most popular half-hour comedy on TV, Two and a Half Men. It’s CBS’s comfort-food approach at its best, really — shows like Men and The Big Bang Theory and even How I Met Your Mother (which has always seemed just a tad miscast on CBS because of its mild experiments with form and time) are not shows that seek to change the world or re-define what a comedy is, but they’re entertaining shows with mostly solid casts that you can sit down and enjoy for a painless 21 minutes.