The Rock

30 Rock came back for a fourth season on Thursday, getting lower ratings than the previous season's opener. It was not the greatest episode of the show, but a solid, good one and, besides, they have set the bar impossibly high. British sitcoms get 12 shows a season, like the shows on HBO and Showtime. How Tina Fey and company manage to keep their brilliantly wacky, razor-sharp and caustic show as funny as it is, week after week, is something of a miracle. What do Americans want from their TV shows? People complain that the characters on Rock aren't "likable." That's a criticism? How did Seinfeld last so long then? Or All in the Family? Or any reality TV show?

I think maybe Rock is just too inside-show-business for a mainstream audience, and way, way too smart. I do not watch every comedy show on TV - though I've started watching a couple of promising new shows this season, Community and Modern Family - but I would sure like to see a funnier sitcom than 30 Rock. I doubt one exists right now. It ain't Parks and Recreation, though that show is picking up some steam in its second season. It ain't The Office, which peaked three or four season ago, in my opinion.

From what I understand, the best drama on TV, Mad Men, also doesn't get great ratings. This season has been Sopranos good. Is there a better show on TV?