Isaak, Meet Benny

What is it about these self-congratulatory sitcoms starring entertainers sending up their images that send the critics into such raptures? Is it the oh-so-hip show-biz “in” jokes?

Out of curiosity, I watched about two-thirds of “The Chris Isaak Show” last night and was underwhelmed, but Howard Rosenberg and other telereviewers have fallen all over it (“A Show as Slick as Chris Isaak’s Pompadour,” March 12).

Oddly, such shows are considered an innovation. (Diss “Seinfeld” and you were put down as a hopeless boor who couldn’t handle anything more contemporary than “Gomer Pyle” or “Here’s Lucy.”) But the celebrity self-parody bit (complete with quirky sidekicks) was being done a half-century ago by Jack Benny (with a lot more charm and flair, too, one might add). KEVIN DAWSON

Sunland