Next! New Comedies Step Up

Like a massive military force in constant need of fresh troops at the front lines, the networks are rotating in three new comedies tonight in hopes of finding something audiences will salute.

ABC welcomes a pair of promising recruits: “The George Lopez Show” at 8:30 p.m. and an oddly titled sitcom whose creators evidently wanted to eliminate any confusion as to its programming slot: “Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central).”

The latter’s naming ploy could be an ingenious preemptive strike by the series to discourage the network from experimenting with shifts to different days and times, an all-too-common industry practice with new shows.

The third arrival is Fox’s “Greg the Bunny,” another 9:30 p.m. entry, whose late-ish time slot should signal that the content is not quite the cuddly family entertainment that its title might suggest.

Although all three deliver a generous ration of laughs, the delightfully twisted “Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)” carries the day, with “Greg” and then “George” following close behind.

“Wednesday” follows the oddball goings-on at a fictional television network, sort of a “Mary Tyler Moore Show” as filtered through an “SCTV” lens.

Ivan Sergei (“Jack and Jill,” “The Opposite of Sex”) stars as David Weiss, who is improbably plucked from the Minnesota theater circuit to take over as head of new programming at IBS in Hollywood. But Weiss’ cheery Midwestern spirit and guileless nature are in for culture shock of comic proportions.

IBS is a company that thrives on power and paranoia, and with John Cleese as station owner Red (yes, simply Red) and Ed Begley Jr. as president Paul Weffler, the right inmates are running this asylum.

The brilliant Cleese is on hand only for sporadic duty as the charmingly ruthless kingpin, but he steals every scene he’s in without breaking a sweat. Begley, meanwhile, is a deadpan hoot as the station ringmaster forever listening for Red’s footsteps.

In tonight’s episode, Weiss has scarcely settled into his new office when he finds himself romantically entangled with real-life actress Lori Loughlin (“Full House”), and part of a wager with a senior VP (James McCauley), namely that the new guy can’t go a week without telling a lie.

Before the episode is over, Weiss finds himself the target of a sexual harassment lawsuit, $100 poorer--and beginning to feel right at home at IBS.

Two other station execs, Melinda McGraw as Lindsay Urich and Sherri Shepherd-Tarpley as Joanne Walker, fill out the bill nicely. The only real gripe is (sweetened?) live-audience laughter that borders on the obtrusive and oversells writing that doesn’t need it.

“Wednesday’s” new competition at 9:30, “Greg the Bunny,” comes out of the chute with a strong debut as well. The kiddie-show-within-a-show’s puppets-are-alive premise is an easy sell, along the lines of a Muppets for mature audiences. Some of the slapstickier moments may tempt you to wake the kids, but resist the impulse.

The always amusing Eugene Levy stars as producer-director Gil Bender, who is having rabbit-related casting problems on his children’s series “Sweetknuckle Junction.” Bender’s ne’er-do-well son Jimmy (Seth Green) and his bunny pal Greg have just the solution, however.

The show’s ribald tendencies make for some entertaining moments, but they can also nudge the show off course, as in the crudely unfunny second episode that features pet neutering as the centerpiece. But here’s hoping for a return to form in the coming weeks.

“The George Lopez Show,” meanwhile, has some spice of its own, but basically it’s an amiable sitcom about a family that--sit down if you aren’t already--happens to be Latino. This is turning out to be quite a week for minority actors.

Comedian Lopez stars as a recently promoted factory foreman now supervising his former workmates, a transition that isn’t always easy but is often pretty funny. At home, wife Angie (“American Family’s” easy-on-the-eyes Constance Marie) helps George cope with his new job while dealing with his formidably outspoken mother (Belita Moreno).

Speaking of eyes, the show’s producers have reportedly tried to stop Lopez from bulging his out while delivering his lines, but as you’ll see tonight, they haven’t made much headway.

But get beyond that if you can, because “The George Lopez Show” is worth the effort.

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“The George Lopez Show” premieres tonight at 8:30 on ABC. The network has rated it TV-PG-L (may be inappropriate for young children, with an advisory for coarse language).

“Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)” premieres tonight at 9:30 on ABC. The network has rated it TV-14-DL (may be inappropriate for children under the age of 14, with advisories for suggestive dialogue and coarse language).

“Greg the Bunny” premieres tonight at 9:30 on Fox. The network has rated it TV-14-L (may be inappropriate for children under the age of 14, with an advisory for coarse language).