Did anyone watch "The Winner" this past Sunday night?

[CatWoman]

did you like it?

If the Family Guy guy and the Daily Show guy make a show, will it be funny?

You'd think that's a pretty simple equation: Family Guy guy (creator Seth MacFarlane) and Daily Show guy (much-liked correspondent Rob Corddry) should equal laughs. But with The Winner, which makes its TV debut Sunday night on FOX after premiering via digital download, the laughs are nearly overtaken by the winces. (Maybe it's just the mom in me, but I just think it's sad when someone decides child molestation is a punchline.)


But who knows: The Winner may end up being a "hit" the way Family Guy has been a "hit": loved by some, hated by some, ignored by a lot. But the people who love it REALLY FRICKIN' LOVE IT! ("Giggity-giggity-goo!")


But back to The Winner. Corddry plays Glen, a pathetic early-30s washout who lives at home and celebrates his success with the TV Guide crossword puzzle. Then the love of his teenage life moves in across the street to take care of Mom and suddenly Glen decides growing up might not be such a bad thing -- if he can get the girl. Who has a teen son whose real age resembles Glen's age at heart.


The opening credits tell you that things end well: Glen becomes rich and all that good stuff. So this is like a "wonder years" look back at the early '90s, which I think could provide some amusement in future episodes (like an O.J. joke of the pilot, which had a certain … innocence about it).


Distribution of this show is being handled unconventionally, perhaps as a nod to its unconventional take on the very conventional sitcom form. You can download the first six episodes now, and watch The Winner whenever you want. It will be interesting to see if the show is strongest on traditional broadcast, or in the download world, and how one affects the other when there's no need to wait a week for the next episode.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/plog/ref=cm_plog_open/102-9523322-9924125?ie=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&plogDisplayState=Maximized&%2Aentries%2A=0


-- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Screening Room

[unpossibles]

1. I wanted to like it, but thought it dumb n/t

[Initech]

2. Two more weeks and they'll be calling it "The Loser".

Easily one of the worst sitcoms I've ever seen.

[Strawman]

3. The Get a Life ripoff? No thanks

[Rob H.]

4. It sucked.

I didn't laugh once--I think if MacFarlane's name hadn't been on it there's no way it would've aired otherwise.