If your family drama cannot be "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," then what can it be? It almost inevitably will be NBC's "Parenthood," a mid-season, post-Olympic experiment boldly launched in February, 2010. The "Parenthood" experiment tests the hypothesis that good writers and actors can find the middle ground between "Modern Family's" understated but outrageous satire and "Brothers and Sisters'" intensity. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are re-working the basic premise of Parenthood, the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin as a frazzled father trying with all his might to do the right thing for everyone he loves. The New York Times accurately observes, "'Parenthood,' with its polished scripts and beautifully shot exteriors, seems like a last gasp of television past," big-big production values and a cast of small-screen all-stars including Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, and Lauren Graham. "Parenthood's" plots and dialogue exploit the irony in everyday family life, winning empathetic laughs and wry smiles where other teams might push too hard for punchlines. Some of the dialogue has the same brilliant serrated edge that distinguished "Gilmore Girls," but, as Lauren Graham points out, "I do not have to talk so fast." Like all good comedy, the teasing and quirkiness are fundamentally good-natured, and every episode features at least one weep-worthy segment. Because "Parenthood" is not "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," it has become the rarest of rare productions at NBC"”a hit.

So does that make this a reality show or a TV sitcom with a personal touch? Louis C.K. is well known in comedy circles as an award winning comedian, writer, and producer and that's what he does on his own self titled show, Louie. The show has been named on numerous top ten television show lists for 2010 and garnered Louis C.K. a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series on the Primetime Emmy Awards. Somewhat loosely based on Louis C.K.'s real life as standup comedian, Louie plays father to two girls and has occasional girl friends (referred to as playdate friends) like Pamela who keep life interesting for the world weary Louie. Look for some stand up comedy skits as well as conversations between Louie and his therapist. Not one to be bashful when it comes to treating sensitive material gingerly Louie covers a wide variety of subjects including Catholic guilt, sexual orientation, sex, depression, as well as divorce (which he is very familiar with). A comedian's life is never boring or without complications.

Conan Without Borders is a popular American travel show hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien. The show aired on TBS in the US as a series of specials on O'Brien's talk show Conan, starting in February 2015. The series consisted of thirteen episodes, where O'Brien traveled outside the US to different countries, attempting to engage with locals and experience unique cultural aspects of the area.

Dish Nation is a TV show that features a team of radio personalities from various cities in the United States discussing celebrity news and gossip. The show began airing in 2011 and has since expanded to include teams from 8 different cities. Each team records their own segment which is then edited and compiled into a national broadcast.

Remember Tim "the tool man" Taylor from Home Improvement? Well he's back, sort of. The character Allen plays in Last Man Standing is named Mike Baxter and is practically identical to Tim Taylor in many ways. To make him entirely different would most likely be impossible due to Tim Allen's strong personality and likeability. And while the Taylor character had a wife named Jill (Patricia Richardson) and three sons, Baxter has daughters and a wife (Nancy Travis). Family matters most as it should, especially in the sit-com environment. Mike Baxter also has a "manly" job. He works at an outdoorsy sporting goods store where men buy tents, guns, and fishing gear. Mike used to handle the store's catalog but they seem to be extinct ever since internet sales became so popular. Now his duty is in making promo videos that go up on their web site. Just as with Home Improvement the quality and appeal of Last Man Standing is in the sharp writing and the high quality of the actors involved. Mike Baxter knows far well he's outnumbered with females in his household so turns to his boss (Héctor Elizondo) and friends for some comic relief.

In 2012, Punk'd returns on the screens after eight brilliant seasons, shot and released in 2003-2007 time frame. And if many years ago, these 8 seasons make not particularly well-known Ashton Kutcher a Hollywood star, the new season starts with ready-made pop star Justin Bieber. Those who watched Punk'd in 2003 had witnessed the TV show made a star, and in 2012 we will see the star who makes the show. Whatever it was, Punk'd has never lacked any "starness": every season consisted of three pranks on three different celebrities. It is easy to calculate the total of eight seasons with 8 episodes on each return 192 celebrities who have become "victims" of Ashton Kutcher jokes. Good pool for the gaining the right connections in the world of show business, indeed, excepting the cases where the lack of a sense of humor of some stars endangered the health and lives of the show's host and its leading actors. In 2012, Justin Bieber opens score of punk'd celebrities, which means that the new version of the MTV series is beginning to attract the attention of almost billionth army of his fans from very first episode.