"Life is such a sweet insanity," warbles the banal theme song for NBC's new comedy series Valerie. TV sitcoms have spent more than three decades trying to prove that adage, but never more aggressively than now. Eight sitcoms are debuting this month for midseason tryouts. One reason for the onslaught: NBC's The Cosby Show sets a new ratings record virtually every week, and several other comedies, including Family Ties, Cheers, Who's the Boss and Golden Girls, frequently finish in the Nielsen Top Ten.
Ratings, however, are not the only explanation for the sitcom's resurgence. Half-hour comedies are becoming more attractive to...
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