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There’s something I should mention before I begin this week’s eagerly-anticipated review. Last week I reviewed the WB sitcoms Zoe and Brutally Normal. As you may remember, I gave them lackluster reviews. Well, Thursday, Feb. 17, the day my column was published, the WB cancelled both Zoe and Brutally Normal. I’d like to think that the executives at the WB somehow got their hands on a copy of The Circle, but I tend to doubt this is true. But, you’ve got to admit: it is a rather neat coincidence. And now, on with the review. This week I chose to review CBS’ Monday night block of comedies. They consist of The King of Queens, Ladies’ Man, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Becker. After careful deliberation, I decided that, of the four, King of Queens is the best, and Ladies’ Man is the worst.

Let’s start things off with King of Queens, as that is what leads off the night at 8:00. King of Queens debuted last season and did well in the ratings. It was renewed for a second season, and has continued to do well in the ratings. The show has a simple concept. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James), a delivery man, lives in Queens, New York, with his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini). Carrie’s father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller), has moved in with the young couple, and lives in the basement of their house. The simple adventures of the Heffernan family are what make up King of Queens. It is fairly surprising that such a simple concept can mine such big laughs. Doug and Carrie are genuinely in love with each other, and the actors have a surprising amount of chemistry. They don’t crack wise to each other for half an hour, and that’s nice to see. Also, Arthur is not the typical sitcom father-in-law. He seems to have genuine affection for Doug. Yes, Arthur frequently behaves like Stiller’s Seinfeld character, Frank Costanza, but it’s not like there’s anything wrong with that.

Each time I watch King of Queens, I come away laughing, and Monday, February 22, was no exception. The episode had a fairly simple plot. Doug and Carrie introduce one couple to another couple. Soon, the two couples become good friends, and Doug and Carrie feel left out of the loop. There is also an amusing subplot of Arthur finally getting his hands on some cereal that he loved as a kid, only to discover that he now hates the stuff. I can tell you that, even at the age of 20, I’m already beginning to find things that I loved as a kid but that I can’t stand anymore. The highlight of the episode, though, is Doug and Carrie’s grand quest for new friends. There are many funny lines. One of the best is when Doug, growing frustrated with his increasingly futile search for new friends, says "Friends just take away from TV time, anyway." All in all, King of Queens is a very good show.

I wish I could say the same for Ladies’ Man, which airs at 8:30. It’s not that Ladies’ Man is all that bad of a show. It’s just not all that good. Ladies’ Man stars Alfred Molina as Jimmy Stiles. He lives with his wife Donna (Sharon Lawerence), his two daughters Wendy (Alexa Vega) and Bonnie (Shawna Waldron), and his mother, Mitzi Stiles (Betty White). If it weren’t for his newborn baby son, Jimmy would be surrounded by ladies (hence the title). Also helping to balance out the testosterone level is Jimmy’s friend Gene (NewsRadio’s Stephen Root), who lives next door and stops by the house frequently. The show’s concept is more involved than that of King of Queens, but that doesn’t make it a better show. In fact, it’s worse. That doesn’t mean Ladies’ Man doesn’t have its funny moments. It does. There were several of them on the episode of Monday, Feb. 24. One of the funnier moments came when Gene said, "I’m scared of widows; they’ve already killed once." However, you just wish there was a higher abundance of these funny moments. A lot of Ladies’ Man is bland and predictable. It’s not a terrible show; it could just really use some improvement.

Following Ladies’ Man is Everybody Loves Raymond (hereafter called Raymond). Raymond is the highest-rated show on CBS Monday nights. It has been the 9 PM anchor of that night for two years now. It is a critical darling. Knowing all this, I have sat down and watched Raymond several times. I have tried desperately to love Raymond, but I can only muster up a nice liking for it. I think it’s amusing, and I chuckle several times during each episode I watch of Raymond, but I just don’t find it as hilarious as other people do. The show revolves around Ray Barone (Ray Romano), a sportswriter for a Long Island newspaper, and his family: wife Debra (the underrated Patricia Heaton), daughter Ally (Madylin Sweeten), and sons Jeffrey (Sawyer Sweeten) and Michael (Sullivan Sweeten). Ray’s parents, Frank (Peter Boyle) and Marie (Doris Roberts), live across the street, and his brother Robert (Brad Garrett) stops by the house often.

The show is a simple family show, and that, in my opinion, is part of why it garners so much critical praise. It is a family show that offers some genuine laughs without resorting to sexual innuendo. My only problem with Raymond is that its laughs aren’t as plentiful—or as funny—as they should be. Also, the squabbling parents—especially the unbelievably crotchety Frank—are getting pretty tiresome. There are some very good moments in Raymond. In Monday’s episode, which was one of the stronger episodes of Raymond this season, there were some especially funny moments between Ray and the owner of a comic book shop, who was played by Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman). While Raymond isn’t as bad as Ladies’ Man, it is similar to the former in that you just wish it were funnier.

Rounding out CBS’ Monday night o’ comedy is Becker, which airs at 9:30. Becker stars Ted Danson as John Becker, a talented but gruff medical doctor. Margaret Wyborn (Hattie Winston) is his head nurse, and Linda (Shawnee Smith) is Margaret’s excruciatingly annoying nurses’ aide. When he’s not working, John hangs out at a coffee shop with the waitress Regina "Reggie" Kostas (Terry Farrell) and Jake Malinak (Alex Desert), a coffee shop regular who also happens to be blind. John, who has been married and divorced several times, has a lot of disdain for a lot of things in the world. In many ways he’s like Archie Bunker from All in the Family. That’s part of what turned me off to Becker when the show debuted last season. John was so angry and bitter, he just wasn’t much fun to watch. Also, John’s opinions couldn’t be as controversial as Archie Bunker’s were, thanks to 1990s political correctness, so what John could say was pretty weak and hardly shocking. However, this season, the producers softened John up a bit, while still allowing him plenty of opportunity to gripe about things. They have also started to give more of a storyline to Reggie, which is a good thing, as she is an interesting character. The character of Linda, however, is still incredibly annoying. She is very much a weak link in the show. In fact, all of the scenes in John’s doctor’s office could be improved. Becker has improved from last season, but still isn’t as good as it could be.

So, in short, the highlight of CBS’ Monday night comedies is The King of Queens. It is definitely worth checking out. In fact, it wouldn’t be a total waste of time to check out Everybody Loves Raymond and Becker too. Ladies’ Man, which is the weak link in the Monday sitcoms, is taking a few weeks off, but it will be back in the lineup soon. These shows air Monday nights on CBS, which is located at channel 6 here on the Marist College television dial.

Mike Thompson is a junior Communications major. When he’s not watching TV and then writing his column about the shows he just watched, he’s hosting a radio show, which airs on WMCR (88.1) Wednesday nights from 11 PM – 1 AM. If you have any suggestions for shows you’d like Mike to review, e-mail him at k4zk@maristb.marist.edu.