David Blum says the sitcom isn't dead. His economic argument makes some sense, but the creative picture is not pretty.

"[A] recent study showed that the average American television-watching household increased its comedy-watching to four and a half hours a week this season, up from less than four hours in the 1993-4 television season.The only trouble is that viewers are still mostly watching reruns of "Seinfeld" and 'Friends'...even if the ideas aren’t innovative or original, the rewards will register if it works. 'The King of Queens' has sold into syndication, and so has 'Two and a Half Men.'"