If your family drama cannot be "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," then what can it be? It almost inevitably will be NBC's "Parenthood," a mid-season, post-Olympic experiment boldly launched in February, 2010. The "Parenthood" experiment tests the hypothesis that good writers and actors can find the middle ground between "Modern Family's" understated but outrageous satire and "Brothers and Sisters'" intensity. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are re-working the basic premise of Parenthood, the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin as a frazzled father trying with all his might to do the right thing for everyone he loves. The New York Times accurately observes, "'Parenthood,' with its polished scripts and beautifully shot exteriors, seems like a last gasp of television past," big-big production values and a cast of small-screen all-stars including Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, and Lauren Graham. "Parenthood's" plots and dialogue exploit the irony in everyday family life, winning empathetic laughs and wry smiles where other teams might push too hard for punchlines. Some of the dialogue has the same brilliant serrated edge that distinguished "Gilmore Girls," but, as Lauren Graham points out, "I do not have to talk so fast." Like all good comedy, the teasing and quirkiness are fundamentally good-natured, and every episode features at least one weep-worthy segment. Because "Parenthood" is not "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," it has become the rarest of rare productions at NBC"”a hit.

Key & Peele is a sketch comedy show that aired on Comedy Central from 2012 to 2015. The show starred Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who both wrote and performed the sketches. Key & Peele tackled a variety of topics including race, politics, and popular culture.

"Young Sheldon" is a television series that premiered in 2017 and is a spin-off prequel to the popular show "The Big Bang Theory." The show follows the early years of Sheldon Cooper, a brilliant but socially awkward physicist who is the central character in "The Big Bang Theory." "Young Sheldon" takes place in East Texas during the 1980s and follows Sheldon as a child attending high school at the age of nine and interacting with his family and community.

Starring Edie Falco, Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" stands out as arguably the best medical drama on television, because the premium cable network allows writers and producers plenty of latitude for developing all of Jackie's passions"”the quality of her patients' care, the unbearable arrogance of vaguely sociopathic physicians, and the delicious relief of good orgasms and Oxycontin. "Nurse Jackie," both the character and the show, have some issues: The character suffers excruciating pain from a bad back and therefore has developed an addiction to painkillers. Yes, you have seen this dangerous dilemma recently on both "House" and "Southland," where the admirable characters continue doing their wonderworks despite their addictions. "Nurse Jackie," the show, suffers a subtle but unmistakable identity crisis, suggesting opportunities for some of the most brilliant black humor known to American medical drama; but, like a pensive and pretentious nineteen-year-old, it insists on taking itself much too seriously. One critic aptly observes, "'Nurse Jackie' doesn't look like the average network medical drama, but it does follow the formula of many premium cable shows, taking a knowing and at times dark, sardonic look at the classic themes of love, life and work." The critic, however, forgets to mention that nowhere does "sardonic" appear as a synonym for either "funny" or "engaging."

"My Wife and Kids" is a popular American sitcom that aired on ABC from 2001 to 2005. The show follows the life of Michael Kyle, a successful businessman, and his family. Kyle's family includes his wife Janet, and their three children, Junior, Claire, and Kady.

From the 8th of March, 1993 until the 28th of November, 1997 a "socially awkward" yet somehow lovable duo with the unlikely names of Beavis and Butthead ruled the MTV airwaves. The pair loved heavy metal rock and roll and hailed from the fictionalized town of Highland, Texas where they grew up with no apparent adult supervision (think Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Linus). Highland High School teachers didn't quite know how to deal with the rather dim-witted pair"¦ that is when the two even bothered to attend school. This may be simply a lesson in how not to survive the teen years or perhaps a cautionary tale of how to be obnoxious and perverted while giving commentary on popular music videos. In any case those around Beavis and Butthead tend to get in harms way while the "boys" skate free. As in the time Butthead fired a rifle that resulted in hitting an airliner (a Boeing 747). With part time jobs at the local Burger World, among others, and still wearing their AC/DC t-shirts they manage to survive as they provide bawdy comments for today's reality TV shows like Teen Cribs, UFC fights, and Jersey Shore.