Their friends acknowledge it always has been this way: Tina Fay gets lots of headlines and personal appearances while Amy Poehler does the majority of the comic heavy lifting. The trend continues in NBC's high-powered Thursday night comedy line-up as Fay continues driving "30Rock" to the top of Nielsen's charts and Poehler brilliantly busts-out gut-busters with her new sit-com "Parks and Recreation." In much the style of "The Office," Poehler's "Parks and Recreation" TV show works the popular mockumentary format; and her character, Leslie Knope, willingly gives voice to her relentless optimism as she speaks directly into the camera. Leslie serves as the Deputy Director of the parks and recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana, where she considers herself a rising star in the local political firmament. Think of her as the female equivalent of Steve Carrell's "Office" character, prone to pretzelating the truth with observations like, "These people are members of a community that care about where they live. So what I hear when I'm being yelled at is people caring loudly at me." Professionals devoted to the sad enterprise of explaining the jokes stress that Poehler's genius lies in her ability to make an obvious ditz both funny and sympathetic rather than just plain weak. Women may not feel inspired to vote for Leslie, but they cannot help loving her.

Always busy actor, writer, producer, stand up comedian, musician, screen writer, and television personality Paul Reiser has a new project and with the title of The Paul Reiser Show it is obvious that he will have an invested part in this one, a sit-com that is about"¦ well"¦ Paul Reiser. He wrote the scripts, produces, and stars as himself (sort of) as the show is somewhat autobiographical. Paul (Mad About You, Curb Your Enthusiasm) portrays a former TV star who chooses to return to the small screen after years of staying home and taking it easy while spending "quality" time with his wife and children. With a bit of help from his friends Paul searches for just the right "big thing" that can get his creative juices flowing again. Amy Landecker (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Louie) is Claire, Paul's wife. Friends Jonathan played by Ben Shenkman (Law & Order), Habib played by Omid Djalili (Gladiator, The Mummy), and Fernando portrayed by Duane Martin (Ghost Whisperer, All of Us) help Paul get back into the groove and return to what he loves which is acting and being funny. Paul Reiser is a very funny (not to mention multi-talented) guy!

Somebody Somewhere is a TV series that premiered on HBO in January 2022. The show is a comedy drama that follows Sam, a woman in her 40s who is dealing with a midlife crisis after the death of her sister. The series is set in Manhattan, Kansas and stars Bridget Everett as Sam, Jeff Hiller as her co-worker and friend Joel, and Mary Catherine Garrison as Tricia Miller, Sam's sister who runs a store called Tender Moments.

Wilfred is a dog. Wilfred is a man in a dog suit. Either or both may be true but one thing for certain is the story idea and the concept just seems to work for this dark comedy. The Aussie actor Jason Gann (Rats and Cats, Kenny) is Wilfred the eponymous dog whose owner Sarah (played by Cindy Waddingham from I Love You Too and Lowdown) along with her boyfriend Adam (award winner Adam Zwar from Lowdown, The Wedding Party), who looks at Wilfred and sees him as a man who just happens to wear a dog suit. The idea came from an original and award winning short film written by Jason Gann and Adam Zwar. A very popular and AFI award winning television program in Australia which aired there in 2007 and again in 2010, Wilfred is now airing in the U.S. Editor Debbie Lee told them "Go as far as you want with it, the more bent the better" and so they did. This TV program based upon a short film has its silly moments but overall is funny and entertaining due to good acting and writing from its young stars.

The serene suburb of Kansas City, Kansas called Overland Park is the setting for a Showtime hit called United States of Tara which follows the life of Tara Gregson. She is a wife and mother of two who doctors have diagnosed as having dissociative identity disorder. She has multiple personalities that she transitions into when severely stressed. She may become a flirty teen who calls herself "T" or Alice who is a housewife straight out of the 1950's. She may turn into a beer swilling, loud male she calls Vietnam Vet Buck when particularly pressured or even displaying a fourth personality who goes by the name of Gimme. Multiple personalities are uncontrollable and can't be chosen but just happen when she is in a weak moment or facing problems difficult to cope with. Tara does have the support of son and daughter as well as her husband, Max. Charmaine, her doubting sister, sometimes thinks Tara is faking it for sympathy reasons. This intriguing show follows her various personality changes and how they affect the family unit.

"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.