Worth a watch

For anyone who just wasn't impressed with 'Til Death (I watched about five minutes before turning it off) and is looking for a traditional sitcom to watch, I definitely recommend The New Adventures of Old Christine. I just watched this season's premiere and was reminded that it really is quite a good show.

In many ways, it is a one-woman piece, and that woman, of course, is Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Those who just don't like her probably won't like this show, as there is definitely some Elaine Benes in the character. But there is enough about this character that is different from Elaine--Christine is divorced, raising a child and has healthy relationships with other people--that you won't constantly be comparing the two.

The writing is generally strong, Louis-Dreyfuss is well-suited for her role, and there are some strong supporting characters (my personal favorites are the blonde moms from Christine's son's school and Christine's younger brother). The premise is straightforward enough: Christine is divorced mom who owns a gym, she has a good, friendly relationship with her ex-husband (which has sometimes become more-than-friendly), her brother lives in her home, and her son attends a ritzy school, where Christine does not fit in with the Stepford wives on the PTA. Last season, Christine's ex, Richard, was dating a younger woman named Christine (hence "Old Christine"), although they broke up at the end of last season and I am unsure whether she will reappear. The storylines all shoot off of this basic premise, and with the short synopsis I just provided, it shouldn't be hard to jump right in.

I enjoy it as an easy half-hour of television that doesn't insult my intelligence (and doesn't feature a fat man married to a hot woman), which seems almost impossible to get with a traditoinal sitcom of late.