I watched "The Winner" on FOX last night before and after family guy. It is a new show that stars one of the Daily Show's news correspondents. After seeing the 1st ten minutes of the 1st episode I didn't have high expectations. Everything seemed pretty cheesy and lame, then after the main guy meets the kid, it became quality materal. And the 2nd new episode that premiered after family guy was pretty hilarious also. Hopefully this show picks up steam and doesn't get cancelled like the other 80% of FOX comedy shows that premier. It's pretty rare that the show is based on character development (or that's what the first two episodes percieved).

I was pretty impressed with it all, and if I had to rate it, it will get a 8.8/10.

What do you guys think of the show?

I gave it 15-20 minutes and I didnt laugh once. It was horrible. 2/10

Putting any new show on Sunday night is a bad idea if you want it to survive. Between HBO's original series stuff playing Sundays and stuff like BSG/Dresden Files on Sci-fi your going to have a hard time finding an audience with a new show in that slot.

Like the show, HATE the laugh track. Ugh.

agreed. haven't heard overuse of a laugh track like that since the mid '80's.

i thought it was a pretty ordinary sitcom. very predictable, unlike family guy.

Laugh tracks are for people who have no brain and need to be told what is funny and when. Two of the best comedies ever didn't have laugh tracks: The Office (British version) and Arrested Development (Fox didn't have a clue what they had).

I notice that it seems heavily influenced by That 70's Show and Arrested Development with a pinch of flashback/forwardflash humor.

The pilot was unbearably bad for the first few minutes (the ridiculously generic scenes with his parents), but it picked up afterwards. Unfortunately, the second episode didn't really live up to that, though I thought it was humorous when I first watched it. It had funny moments, but you could tell that the character dynamics had changed a bit. Upon rewatching the second episode with a friend today, it just doesn't hold up to repeat viewings. So basically, I'm not sold on the show yet. I'll give it another episode or two, but it's going to need to break out of the cliche more than it has been.

THe only show with a laughter track I've ever even been able to watch is Seinfeld (one of the main reasons I've always liked cartoons). Talented people learned long ago that LTs annoy the main audience for high-quality comedy, and started to replace it with a score. I literally turned it off the second I heard the laugh track. I don't care how great it is, I'll never watch an episode unless they ditch it.

I made it about 5 minutes into the show before I had to turn it. The show stands little chance of making it...

I thought the first episode of American Dad was seriously awful. Now I find that show to be quite good. I don't think this show was awful, but I don't think it will turn around and be anywhere close to good.

This mirrors my experience.

I quit watching after 5 minutes. I enjoy Cordrey on the Daily Show, but like others have already said the laugh track was unbearable and the show wasnt funny. I wont be watching again.

I seriously never notice laugh tracks, you guys are crazy.

Ever seen a cartoon with a laugh track? Hanna-Barbera used to do it with theirs back in the 60's and 70's...it's generally pretty awful.

I've gotten such a distaste for laugh tracks (having mostly dropped sitcoms) over the past few years that it does grate on me when a show with one comes on. That said, I can begin to tune them out or at least tolerate them with a little practice. "Newsradio" has a laugh track as I recall.

Whatever happened to the trend of filming shows "before a live studio audience?"

That was one of the best parts of Cheers ... there was always one random guy in the audience who would keep laughing after everyone else had stopped, or who would let out a boisterous guffaw when no one else did. Made the show that much better, in my opinion ... laughter was there, but it was real laughter. No one was telling anyone to laugh, people were laughing when things were generally funny.

Ok, I watched the show again tonight, both episodes.... It is pretty intrusive in this show.

Curse people pointing out the laugh tracks, I am seriously starting to hate them more and more. Thanks guys (take it as you will, because frankly, I can't tell if that's a good thing or bad thing).

i watched it last night for the first time. wasn't a big fan. the laugh tracks piss me off more and more now too, and on this show it was almost uncomfortable laugh tracks. when he and the kid are bouncing around the hotel room, making it seem like it should be a funny moment, there wasn't a single laugh to be found. i find that when i know there's a laugh track, and it doesn't go off when a part of the show is seemingly being funny, we have problems.

I always thought it was really wierd that the Flintstones had a laugh track.


I think that's an excellent general rule, that if it has a laugh track, it sucks ( with a few notable exceptions, like sienfeld and WKRP)

Okay...I gave this second batch of episodes a chance and found myself laughing a number of times. I guess I started becoming accustomed to the laugh track and blocked it out for the most part. I'll continue to record it for a while, I think.

I thought Seinfeld was filmed in front of a live studio audience. They always seemed to time the laughter or the applause when something happens (AKA: Kramer entering for the 1st time in a show...you notice the 5-10 second wait as the audience applauds for his appearence, then the chatting begins).