"Phineas & Ferb" [Povenmire-Marsh, 2007] Season 1 [Aug. '07-Mar. '09] [TV-G]

Too good to be true? Too intelligent (yeah, definitely too intelligent), well-thought-through, indiscriminating, exuberant, and overarchingly funny to be in concordance with Disney Channel's pandering, product-like sitcoms? Yes, it's all true-- but you get used to it soon enough, in fact in practically no time at all. It breaks the fourth wall, be it to "put down" its self-consciously almost-banal plot structure or its self-consciously mediocre, sometimes even dreck-y, accompanying musical numbers. A tremendous, actively irrestistible gem of a show, that deserves to be way more famous. Grade: A

"Chowder" [Greenblatt, 2007] Season 2 [Oct. '08- Jul. '09] [TV-Y7-FV]

This extraordinarily funny and well-executed show, created by an ex-SpongeBob and Billy&Mandy crew-member, combines the exuberance of Phineas & Ferb with the near-utter plotlessness of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, while being nearly as funny as either of these two shows in their prime, and also being about an inexperienced, perpetually hungry, puerile kid chef (the title character) working for a professional one ("Mung Daal"), in addition to his other, older, more experienced assistant/employee ("Shnitzel"). It is an enormous success, and deserves all the positive IMDB ratings, award nominations and more-- little weaker (or stronger) here than in the first season. Grade: A

"Sonny With a Chance" [Marmel, 2009] Season 1 [Feb.- Aug. '09]

No, not your typical 21st-century Disney Channel sitcom-- this one is about two TV shows, one sketch-comedy, one drama, both immensely popular, both being filmed in the same studio. New D.C. creature Demi Lovato, having followed first Hannah Montana, then Miley Cyrus' footsteps by becoming a pop musician, stars in the show as a character on the sketch-comedy, "So Random." Obviously enough, her character's name is Sonny [Munroe]. This show still has some obvious appeal beyond most of its D.C. sitcom kin, and I think that that would be that it is much more conceptually exuberant and self-reflexive in its aura (or whatever) than SLofZ&C, Hannah Montana [the TV show], or, I don't know, Wizards of Waverly Place. It is also a little bit less uncomfortably humorless, which helps too. Otherwise, though, besides the fact that it is new, it's pretty much an ordinary member of its aforementioned category, which is most definitely a bad thing. Grade: B MINUS

"South Park" [Stone-Parker, 1997] Season 3 [Apr. '99- Jan. '00] [TV-MA-LV]

By pushing the humor more up front here, Matt Stone and Trey Parker manage to obfuscate a pleasantly large-- though still nowhere near large enough-- portion of their inability to portray sincere and inherently humorless, even (increasingly so as time goes on) dour, scenarios. This grade may be the same as Season 1, but it is a much higher one. So S.P. more closely resembles the Eagles than the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hmm... food for thought there, huh? Grade: B

"SpongeBob SquarePants" [Hillenburg, 1999] Season 6 [Mar. '08- Mar. '09]

Okay, now this is grotesque, this is what us SB fans have been anticipating and bracing ourselves for for more than three years now ("At long last"-- not that it's a good thing)-- as a matter of fact, it seems that the new creative monarchs who have taken over this most seminal of animated comedies are completely inept as regards what is genuinely funny- as though they're attempting so impassionedly to usher in a new era of modernity to this show that their artistic ideas may be blown hyperbolically out of their ordinary proportions. Prepare to be visually sickened when you watch this season of this show (not that you should, like, try to or anything). And admittedly, "Slide Whistle Stooges" isn't altogether terrible, in fact, it's essentially the season's best episode. But still, I am dismayed to report that even it isn't all that great. (Second place: "Spongicus/Suctioncup Symphony," in which some of the old genius and spirit of this show is also recaptured.) Grade: C

"Family Guy" [MacFarlane, 1999] Season 2 [Sep. '99- Aug. '00]

Well of course Family Guy had yet to find its groove this early on, obviously it was structurally, conceptually still exactly the same as at its apogee (i.e. season 3), but still, like the Simpsons (only less abject, thank God), it was less focused, less "refined," and overall, [only a little bit in this case] less funny here than in other [later] seasons. Rounded down, just to make a point, important as ever with this show, one which has been rightfully recognized by the public to be (sometimes only) brilliant. Grade: B

"Seinfeld" [David-Seinfeld, 1989] Season 8 [Sep. '96- May '97]

The original "show about nothing"-- or, more specifically, the lives of three everymen (and one everywoman) (relatively speaking, anyway) in New York City and whatever Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld choose to portray as what happens to them therein. It's famous as a sitcom-- not to mention long-lived for a reason-- it's hilarious with nearly perfect consistency (and of course quality). There's really nothing else to say about this show, which definitely warrants your attention, should you have not given it thereto yet. Grade: A PLUS