The Best Sitcoms of 2006: The Office and Some Also-Rans

The best sitcoms of 2006 are those that give us relief, not just from the worst sitcoms of 2006 but also from whatever happened to trouble us during our day. There are decidedly not a lot of sitcoms in 2006 to chose from in selecting the best sitcoms of the year. When you look at the list of the best sitcoms in 2006 you'll recognize that the shows represent a new and rather edgy brand of comedy. The best sitcoms of 2006 may push the envelope, but for the most part they also activate your funny bone and we all need a little of that action.

The Office - Starring last year's Emmy Nominee, Steve Carell, the Office continues to head the list of best sitcoms, the kind folks like to tune in to for a few laughs and a little stress reduction. The unique brand of too close to reality humor and on air expressions combine to provide a half hour that most viewers find too little of a good thing.

The unusual camera views, takes and almost interview format of the Office frankly take some getting used to and can at times even be annoying. But once viewers get a sense of who the characters are and how they relate to one another they can settle in for one of the best sitcoms of 2006.

My Name Is Earl A slow starter," My Name Is Earl" can really grow on you. The amazing thing is that here is a sitcom that has some real structure. One down and out kind of guy, who isn't especially noble, decides that things can be better in his life if he changes his karma by making a list of all the folks he has done dirty and then systematically retracing his steps and righting his wrongs. He is often assisted in his efforts by his less than Rhodes Scholar brother Randy and some high school "friends". The format is basically the same each week and rather easy for new viewers to key in on .

The show is very down to earth and covers some interesting moral issues that you wouldn't expect to come out Earl's environment. The characters all remain delightfully constant and for the most part likable. Perhaps the only offputting feature of this show is that for some of us Earl's voice gets very annoying very quickly. It's down home tone is the least attractive thing about the show and because every episode has a lot of voiceovers, if the voice annoys you, it really annoys you. If you are in doubt about the humor here just know that apparently Roseanne Barr thought the writing was good. She signed on for a guest role. She should know something about humor and about what really are the best sitcoms of 2006.

Scrubs Speaking of over the top, this show definitely can be, but the laughs are there and so is the audience. "Scrubs" is based on the humor one can extract from the daily lives of highly trained professionals and professionals in the making. There is plenty of material here and the characters are not without interest. For those who really are in to the show the exaggerated behaviors and repeated stunts are enjoyable but for some the show can become tedious early on.

What draws a lot of its large audience and continues to make "Scrubs" one of the top sitcoms of 2006 is the character J. D., who though a bright enough doctor in his own right , has an unending series of personal and frankly developmental issues he is dealing with. Still in the long run he seems like a guy we would all like and we all can sympathize with. The shows voice over technique makes us feel as though we know a lot about J. D. and we end up laughing at his inconsistencies and having compassion for his endless foul ups. Part of the reason that "Scrubs" is popular is because for many of us it is also nice to see doctors, who in our daily life seem totally in control of everything, turn out to be just human beings like the rest of us.

How I Met Your Mother Everyone was looking for a replacement for the ensemble sitcom about young, for the most part unmarried adults who are trying to make a go of their lives. Well "How I Met Your Mother" is not "Seinfeld" or even "Friends" yet there is enough of a sense of bonding to remind us of "Friends" and enough of self absorption and sexual banter to remind us of, well, a lot of self absorption and sexual banter. But the total formula seems to work

"How I Met Your Mother" sets itself through an ongoing series of flashbacks told through the person of lead actor Josh Radnor who plays the part of Ted. Simply put, Ted has come to the point in his life where he recognizes the need to discover his one true love. The humor of this show lies in his attempts to meet and find that perfect someone and the help, if you can all it that, he gets from his friends. Neil Patrick Harris gets many of the laughs for his often ridiculous and sometimes offensive suggestions. There is something pleasant about the relationships among the primary characters that makes you like them each for who they are. There is enough here to beat back the competition and leave this one of the best sitcoms for 2006

Two and a Half Men When they stay on the main story line, this cast can produce one of the best sitcoms of 2006. The plot is something that our modern, mixed up society relates to. A single guy, his divorced brother and the brother's son living together and dealing with what life throws at them, that really should be enough to build a comedy around. But in an effort to stay vital the show sometimes goes over the line. The sex aspect is always overstated and subtle humor is pretty much non-existent. The show struggles to get through a half hour without an anatomical reference, it appears to be their guaranteed laugh and they never miss going after it.

It's too bad because this really could be one of the best sitcoms of 2006 without the blue humor. Jon Cryer (as Alan) is a quality actor and gives Charlie Sheen ( who plays Charlie, his brother) the straight man he needs. Sheen can and does carry off the role of the jingle producing, wild living uncle, and Angus T. Jones makes the role of Jake as good as any on the show. There is also a very amusing supporting cast led by Holland Taylor who plays the mother of Charlie and Alan. This show appears to be limited now in how much further it can go as Jake will soon outgrow his cuteness and Charlie and Alan can only sustain the "we're still single" tension so long. But for right now "Two and a Half Men" remains one of the best sitcoms for 2006.

In 2006 we seem to be missing the long running sitcoms that we were so comfortable with. Where's the "Frazier" that we included in our weekly planning? This list of best sitcoms of 2006 also has no family show at least not in the sense of the traditional mother, father and kids. Where is the replacement for "Everyone Loves Raymond"? We are just at the beginning with most of this year's best sitcoms, so who knows, maybe six or seven years from now we will be moaning over the loss of what now to us seems so new and untried. For right now these are among the best sitcoms for 2006"