The hype for this traditional three-camera, laugh-track, live-studio-audience sitcom was way over the top -- but I'm a sucker for Kelsey Grammer and Fred Willard, so we gave it a shot. The second and third episodes (missed the pilot, which Fox in its infinite wisdom never saw fit to repeat) were pretty marginal, with only a few chuckles, mostly thanks to Willard. But the most recent episode -- "Night of Possibilities" -- suggests that the show might be starting to hit its stride.

Just in time, of course, for Fox to yank it for MLB playoffs for the next several weeks.

Anyway, Kelsey Grammer is definitely funnier the more unlikeable he gets, and the supporting cast is finally starting to gel. I had kind of figured that anything with James Burrows and Christopher Lloyd involved would get good eventually -- now I'm just wondering if it will last long enough to build an audience, or if it's simply the last gasp in a dying art form (assuming it's not too HBOish, pretentious and gasbaggy to imply such a thing about the sitcom).

I suspect that the big names attached might be enough to allow the show some time to find it's feet. Somehow I just haven't gotten into the swing of the new tv season, but I did see a little bit of this week's show, and though I don't think it's great, I think there's potential there.

I think a lot of the single camera sitcoms are good, but I guess I'm just old enough to have a soft spot for the shows that are filmed before a live audience. For the good shows, there's an energy that comes from having that audience. I'd be sad if that form went away forever.

I like it well enough. I tivo it to watch when there's nothing else on, but I do enjoy it when I watch it. And I've tuned in to watch Fred Willard on far worse things, so I'm really happy that it doesn't suck. I think the main thing it has going for it is that it writes to each of the actors' strengths instead of just coasting along on the fact that they have two big stars. It seems that on "Til Death" they think that just because they have Brad Garrett, they don't actually have to write anything for him. I'm glad "Back to you" didn't do that.



I thought the pilot was pretty funny and agree that the third was weak, but I found myself liking the second one. The goldfish one. I think it's because Kelsey Grammer does that slapsticky thing so well. If it had been some other actor accidentally murdering goldfish for half an hour it would have seemed lame to me, but he made it weirdly funny.

I'm bummed that the tivo ate this week's episode.