Other networks besides CBS seem to be getting back into the traditional sitcom business. Fox's "'Til Death" and "Back to You" are trying to re-establish themselves with new episodes in the wake of the strike. (Both comedies return April 16.)

"It's sort of become cool to trash the sitcom," Steve Levitan, co-creator of "Back to You," said when the show was introduced to the media last summer.

He grew up watching "Dick Van Dyke," "All in the Family," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Cheers," and said "they were incredibly important shows for me. And I know it's not cool to love them, but I do love them."

He also noted how his own children embrace shows such as "Hannah Montana" and "Zach & Cody," which are both shot as traditional sitcoms, "and they're not saying, 'Well, it's cooler to love single camera.' "

Besides, said Levitan, if you have two of the top sitcom stars ever in Kelsey Grammer ("Cheers," "Frasier") and Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), "why not let them do what they do best?"

As Heaton said, "it's not about whether there's cameras or audience or whatever. What it boils down to is, is this character interesting to you, and do you see five, seven years' worth of stories here?"

Grammer was more succinct. When asked it he considered his new show to be a traditional TV comedy, he simply said, "If by traditional you mean funny, yes, it's very traditional."

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