I actually do think Abbott is really funny, even if I don't think it quite reaches the comedic highs of other shows from before.

But to counter that...you know lots of people that think Abbott is extremely funny...and what other current shows? Does it say something about the state of comedy on TV that there are only 1, maybe 2 shows on currently that people find really funny?

I don't. I'm 26, and didn't grow up watching shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, but when I watch it now compared to modern sitcoms I see a clear difference in quality even though I don't even really like a show like Raymond.

But even the successful shows now aren't typically considered to be as good as the successful shows then. Are there that many people who find American Auto, Welcome to Flatch, How I Met Your Father, Call Me Kat, Bob Hearts Abishola, etc. hilarious? Enjoyable, maybe. But hilarious the same way that audiences found 30 Rock, The Office, or even shows like That 70s Show or Everybody Loves Raymond to be hilarious? Even if you don't like a show like Raymond, I think it's clearly better in most ways to a show like Call Me Kat or The Neighborhood.

But the current sitcoms I've pointed out are the ones that are getting renewed and have the highest ratings at the moment.

My main point is that there hasn't been an extremely funny new network sitcom in almost ten years.

This is one of my biggest gripes on Reddit as a whole. I've seen way too many posts and comments griping about how X character is a narcissist, sociopath, bully, etc. for their actions as if they're real people and not characters purposefully written that way for comedic effect. Yeah it would probably be a little annoying if I had a friend as sarcastic as Chandler in real life...but it's a TV show.

You might be onto something there. The old Thursday night NBC lineup (30 Rock, Parks & Rec, The Office, Community) had insane lineups of writing talent that pretty much all went on to do great things. With more TV being produced, it might mean only a couple good to great writers for each show instead a great writers room top to bottom.

I feel like little-to-no lightning is being caught. The success rate was never high, but I think it was higher. Shows like King of Queens and even Two and a Half Men weren't considered the pinnacle of comedy, but I still think they're clearly better than other multi-cam sitcoms that have lasted multiple seasons today. And I wasn't even a fan of those shows when they were on.

I see your point, but I don't necessarily agree with it. Shows like The Office found the footing pretty much immediately in the second season. And even the first season of the show didn't really suffer from the issues that I think are plaguing modern sitcoms.

Shows like American Auto, Welcome to Flatch, How I Met Your Father, have all had full second seasons and still don't seem like they'll end up becoming better than anything besides pretty good.

I've seen this and totally agree. Nothing about the characters seems organic, which makes it hard to see them as real people.

What I wonder, is why is this such an issue for modern sitcoms? Many of these are being written by writers of former, better shows, but suffer serious issues that those shows lacked.

Maybe not more real, but more of a distinct personality? I don't quite know how to describe it, but I feel the same way about characters on 30 Rock. They're pretty much literal cartoons, but I never for a second don't believe them. Whether that's due to writing or acting, I'm not sure.