A Wednesday Surprise

A lot of critics have been raving about “30 Rock” being the best new comedy of the year. So imagine my surprise when most of my laughing happened during “20 Good Years.”

Now, in defense of “Rock,” I can’t really judge it fairly since an audio glitch kept me from hearing a good portion of it. And what I heard was funny, I just didn’t laugh out loud.

So why did I laugh out loud at “20 Good Years”? Because John Lithgow is funny. Granted, he’s playing the same arrogant and overbearing person he did on “3rd Rock From the Sun,” but that doesn’t make it any less funny. Jeffrey Tambor is a good straight man and quite honestly, the show had some funny jokes. Plus, Heather Burns (Sandra Bullock’s favorite sidekick) is great as Lithgow’s daughter

If you missed it, Lithgow is John, a highly regarded surgeon. Because he has just turned 60, the hospital forces him to go part-time before he retires in two years. Devastated by this turn of events, John decides he is going to live the next 20 good years of his life to the fullest. He enlists his friend, Jeffrey (Tambor), to go along for the ride.

Jeffrey, however, doesn’t do anything spontaneous since his wife passed away 20 years ago. When his girlfriend of three years insists that he propose, Jeffrey decides that John is right and he breaks up with her. Finding himself with a lack of funds due to going part-time and having to pay three alimonies, John moves in with Jeffrey.

I have to admit that I absolutely hate the laugh track, but since this is a traditional sitcom, it might not be the same without it. The story will probably get old quickly, and I’m not even sure I’ll keep watching, but it was a nice Wednesday surprise.

I’ll give “30 Rock” another week before I make a decision on it.