What was the best new show this season?

The shortest possible answer about what the best new show this season is simple: nothing. Every new program (launched on the big 4.5 networks -- the CW is NOT a full network) launched in the 2010-11 season has been utter shit.

I pondered earlier this year during premiere week that “Mike and Molly” was a surprise. I like a good fat joke or two and even though comedies centered around a romance of any sort make me want to puke, I genuinely liked the Chicago cop character of Mike (comedian Billy Gardell). He was that underdog that made mistakes. He wasn’t a blundering idiot of any sort but his comedic timing was spot-on.

I lasted through the first three episodes of “Mike and Molly”. I grew to actually loathe Molly’s drunk mom Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz) and while Molly’s sister, Victoria (Katy Mixon) was somewhat appealing a drunken slut of sorts, both of their acts quickly wore thin.

That’s all it took. The show lacked depth. It didn’t have much in the way of an intriguing ensemble cast and the writing rapidly showed itself to be thin and lacking any need for intellectual thought. It was brainless, plug and play comedy. The jokes could likely be generated by a computer program tailored to appeal to the lowest common denominator*. If this show was the sort of shit that appeals to the masses then I’m glad to be an outsider.

If that statement makes me an elitist then so be it. This could have been a smart and funny comedy but when the fat jokes began to wear thin and the petty conflicts of Mike and Molly’s budding romance took center stage, I got out.

*Other lowest common denominator sitcoms include “Two and a Half Men” and “Rules of Engagement” -- both of which are on CBS. Coincidence?