Fall TV Preview: Will Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton Bring Must-See TV to FOX with Back to You?

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this Fall's new television sitcom "Back to You" is that it is being showcased on FOX. When you think of the FOX station, good old fashioned television simply doesn't come to mind. Yet that is what "Back to You," starring sitcom veterans Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, seems to be bringing to the table this Fall. Here is a preview of "Back to You," which begs the question: Will Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton bring Must-See TV to FOX?

FOX's new comedy, which premieres September 19, has earned itself a key time slot at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. It will be up against the controversial reality show "Kid Nation" on ABC (it almost seems like FOX and ABC swapped shows for an evening, doesn't it?), and NBC's "Deal or No Deal."

Will "Back to You" be the breakout hit FOX is hoping for? Well, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton certainly bring comedic talent and their own audiences with them. Kelsey Grammer, of course, starred in the long-running hit "Cheers" and its highly successful spin-off, "Frasier." Patricia Heaton played the wife and daughter-in-law on the critically acclaimed sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond." And astonishingly enough, the old-fashioned sitcom may be the most different thing you will see on television this Fall.

The sitcom, since the conclusion of "Seinfeld" and "Friends," as well as "Frasier" and "Raymond," has been pretty much missing from television in recent years. And I have to believe that amidst all this awful reality, it is, at least in some homes, very sorely missed. It may very well be due for a comeback, and if anybody can pull that off, it's Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

Will sitcom fans follow Grammer and Heaton to FOX? Probably. They may even learn to stick around for Brad Garrett's amusing sitcom "'Til Death." But they will want to keep that remote in hand, with their fingers on the trigger, before "Kitchen Nightmares" comes on at nine o'clock. (More on that nightmare in another preview.)

It is difficult to imagine Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton teaming up to do something bad, which makes me optimistic that "Back to You" will bring Must-See TV to FOX, if only for half an hour on Wednesday nights. And who knows? Maybe FOX is about to begin a new trend for itself. Less unrealistic (and exceedingly annoying) reality, and more good old fashioned televison. And if that fails, well, we'll still tune in to FOX on Sundays to watch "The Simpsons."