Inane Opinion About A TV Show

I really like "According to Jim". It has the basic formula of the sitcom: Attractive Wife + Schmucky Male-Stereotype Husband + Family Antics. The dad likes beer and sports, is a little rude and insensitive. The wife is a bit control-freaky, cooks. The twist, though, is that they're not horrible people who resent where they are. They don't just put up with each other. They LIKE each other. And the difference between their level of physical attractiveness isn't painfully unlikely. The humor isn't pure cynicism. The lessons they learn are actually good lessons and aren't Cosby Show cheesy safe. I like the example it sets. I like that it doesn't make married life seem like the death of everything that makes you a real person, a scenario whose only escape is sports and beer, primarily as an excuse to avoid interaction with your wife and kids and speed the time with blurry vision until you're finally dead. A functional family with occasional realistic (or at least not squeaky-clean) issues? Addressing concepts of masculinity and femininity without using stereotypes so 2D as to reduce both genders to essentially unworkably limited creatures forced to interact by the compulsions of hormones and biological clocks, as well as pointing out when its better to be reasonable or put what you care about above your absurd pride? And there's no use of unapologetically horrible parenting. I really like this show. I don't love it. But I really like it. Of course, I analyze this crap a lot more than... anyone else. I really hate basically every sitcom about family on TV right now. They're full of horrible people dehumanizing each other while doing ... horrible people things and self-sabotaging and generally being jerks, idiots, or idiot-jerks. Or even just so awkward it hurts. There's other sources of humor and there's no reason not to show a bit of hope and functionality. Christ.