Paul Blart, TV needs you.
The bigscreen success of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" has smallscreen execs once again wondering what happened to the once-vibrant, broad-based primetime sitcom genre.
One network, the CW, doesn't even bother developing comedies anymore. And it was a dismal fall for laffers, as the other broadcasters entered the season with just four new half-hour comedies -- none of which blossomed into hits.
"The networks are incredibly scared of comedy right now," one studio topper says. "They don't know where to go with it."
Nonetheless, webheads this midseason are once again attempting to perform CPR on the sickly genre.
ABC, NBC and Fox will all add new comedies to their skeds in the coming months. Enough comedies are coming this midseason that the nets are even getting competitive in some spots, with CBS and ABC going toe-to-toe on Wednesdays, and NBC facing off with the Alphabet on Thursdays.
The midseason comedy comeback comes with a caveat: Most of this spring's barrage of new comedy contenders have been handed tough time-period assignments, and they're mostly of the narrow-appeal, single-camera variety that has yet to produce a broad, smash hit.
The networks have now been in a comedy conundrum for a decade -- and that's a downward spiral that won't be reversed over night. As they stepped back from sitcoms, cablers stepped in -- and the comedy world is so fragmented now, it may be impossible to ever completely revive the genre.
Kids and tweens get their laffer fix from Disney and Nickelodeon, while teens and young adults prefer to get their humor from the Internet, Comedy Central and Adult Swim.
What's more, fans of alternative comedy like "Flight of the Conchords" and fans of four-camera sitcoms like "The Big Bang Theory" don't necessarily travel in the same packs. Is there still a market for a primetime sitcom in 2009?
"Showrunners for the longest time didn't want to do traditional types of comedies," one network exec says. "They didn't see them as smart, sexy or intelligent. And advertisers were looking for upscale shows as well. So we did go through a period where a lot of creative execs and show creators didn't want to do those shows."
But moving forward, there's hope: Network execs are expressing a desire to return to a broader form of comedy in order to attract mainstream auds looking for a few chuckles.
Audiences seem to want to laugh, particularly given the current litany of sour news headlines. And although no one would confuse "Paul Blart" (starring sitcom vet Kevin James) with high art, the movie was No. 1 two weeks in a row at the box office -- and execs say they took note.
The success of CBS' more mainstream Monday night lineup also gives credence to the argument that there's still an audience for broad-based comedies.
At ABC, new Bob Saget laffer "Surviving Suburbia" falls in line with ABC Entertainment Group topper Steve McPherson's desire to return to the net's sitcom roots.
The Alphabet has high hopes for "Suburbia," a multicamera comedy in the vein of "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement," two shows that (for many) still define the ABC brand more than a decade after they went off the air. "Suburbia" had been scheduled for Media Rights Capital's Sunday night sked on the CW; when that deal collapsed, MRC brought the show to ABC (which will launch it in April).
"We were all skeptical when we went to look at it, but it does feel like a traditional ABC show," says ABC Entertainment exec VP Jeff Bader. "Our research shows that's what people expect from ABC, even though we haven't had a show like that in years."
Indeed, McPherson told reporters last month that the Alphabet was looking to develop more comedies of that ilk.
"That kind of show is missing," McPherson says. "These are tough times, and people want more comfort food. ... There's an intimacy missing when the sitcom is nowhere on the air. People respond to those comedies. I would like to see us get back to a contemporary version of ('Roseanne' or 'Home Improvement'). There's a real place for that."
ABC has several family-oriented laffers in development, including the Patricia Heaton starrer "The Middle," the comedy "18 to Life" and the Chris Lloyd/Steve Levitan entry "My American Family." The Alphabet also has a multicam sitcom in the works starring Kelsey Grammer.
Bader says he hopes to program at least two hours of comedy next fall. Whether he can do that depends on whether ABC can attract auds to its midseason comedy blocks. Other newcomers "Better off Ted" and "In the Motherhood" are set to bow in March, while the animated comedy "The Goode Family" will likely land a spot in May.
The network will go male-centric on Wednesdays, where "Scrubs" will be paired with "Ted" starting March 18 in the 8 p.m. hour prior to "Lost."
That pits "Scrubs" against CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine" in a battle of solid comedies that have never become smashes, and "Ted" against modest first-year laffer "Gary Unmarried."
On Thursdays starting March 23, ABC is targeting femme auds in the 8 p.m. hour before "Grey's Anatomy," putting "Ugly Betty" on hiatus to pair sophomore entry "Samantha Who" with the bow of "In the Motherhood." ("Samantha's" old post-"Dancing with the Stars" berth on Monday nights is now going to "Suburbia.")
ABC is taking the unusual step of opening the night with newcomer "Motherhood," which will go up against NBC's established "My Name Is Earl." That might be because "Samantha" has been tasked with facing off against the Peacock's much-buzzed-about new Amy Poehler comedy, "Parks and Recreation."
"Samantha" may benefit from early tune-in for "Grey's," and it will get a head start on "Parks and Recreation" by a few weeks.
But it's gonna be a tough battle, as "Parks" is easily the most anticipated of the new comedy crop.
"Parks and Recreation," which comes from "The Office's" Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, bows April 9 at 8:30 p.m., in the slot vacated by lackluster fall sitcom "Kath & Kim." Net is turning the show around quickly, and just recently started shooting its pilot episode.
If NBC has any hopes of launching a second comedy block next season, "Parks" needs to work -- allowing the Peacock to move one of its Thursday entries to another night.
CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler has already suggested the Eye will continue to program two nights of comedy next season. The net isn't bowing anything new in midseason, but is bringing back "Rules of Engagement" on Mondays in the post-"Two and a Half Men" slot vacated by "Worst Week."
Sitting out the live-action comedy race for now is Fox, which is focusing on its comedy bread-and-butter this midseason -- animation -- with "Sit Down, Shut Up." Fox hopes to get back into the game next season, having recently greenlit four comedy pilots, as well as a fourth season of the Brad Garrett sitcom " 'Til Death"
"We're down to a low pulse level on the live-action comedy brand," Reilly says. "Until we have a show that can fire up a time period or we can find a show that can be compatible with 'Idol,' we'll be a bit methodical."
Among Fox's new comedy pilots: a blue-collar comedy set in Detroit, and another project about a mall cop. Guess "Paul Blart" knows a thing or two about the kind of laughs auds want.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com