Another Doomed Romance

Here I go again, falling in love with another surely doomed television series. (Surprisingly, it isn't even from the producers of "My So-Called Life.") This time it's actor/writer Fred Goss' brilliant new hybrid comedy "Sons & Daughters," undoubtedly the funniest new show I've seen on television in years. (Full disclosure: Despite owning the first season on DVD I have still never seen "Arrested Development," a show that this certainly owes a nod to, although its middle-class roots and use of improv seem to be noticeable differences.)

The show revolves around Cameron (Goss), who is happily married to his second wife with whom he has three children. But domestic life takes a turn when when Cameron's resentful punk-drag teenaged son from his first marriage moves in. Further complicating Cameron's life are his siblings and their families, and his inadvertently critical mother (succinctly played by Dee Wallace) and his long-suffering stepfather, played by Barney Miller's own Wojciehowicz.

While people have been calling for HBO or Showtime to renew "Arrested Development," it would seem a fresh show like "Sons & Daughters" would have been an ideal pick for cable. This show is just way too sublime for ABC's demographic (why is it on after "According to Jim"?) for it to last much longer (it's that good).

Read: Improv sparks 'Sons & Daughters,' a family sitcom easy to adopt