Sad state of sitcoms

Jake in Progress premieres this weekend and the results aren't half bad. Jake, aka Full House star and recently separated John Stamos, is a New York City publicist with a list of demanding clients taking up too much of his time. He's also trying to be a buddy to his male friends and find a girlfriend. Some people may call it a male equivalent of Sex and the City. I think that might be a stretch -- especially considering Sex and the City was on HBO and this is ABC.

Stamos has a certain charm that should go a long way. In TV, casting is about 80%-90% of a show's success, so having the right person in the right part can make all the difference. If you think of your favorite shows and can't imagine another person in that role, than you realize the importance of good casting.

Anyway, the reason I mention that Jake may be a success is that sitcoms -- in the traditional sense -- are in a bad way right now. Everybody Loves Raymond, one of my favorites is leaving in May, and the funniest shows out there right now are HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Fox's Arrested Development, both of which aren't shot in front of an audience.

Jake also isn't show in front of an audience and, with Raymond departing -- and Friends and Frasier leaving last year -- the traditional 3-camera, studio audience sitcom may be coming to an end.

And maybe that's a good thing. TV, like everything else, changes with the times. It'll be interesting to see if another Friends, Frasier or Raymond ever comes around again.