Can "Back To You" Revive The American Sitcom?

It's a lot of responsibility for one series, but when the fall season begins in the US, many critics and television executives will be watching Fox's new situation comedy "Back To You" very carefully.
And with good reason: The state of the half-hour sitcom in America is not good. Only one comedy--CBS' "Two and a Half Men"--is a regular top 20 series. And for the most part, the networks have delegated certain nights to sitcoms (Sundays to both Fox and The CW; Mondays to CBS; Thursdays to NBC.) What's more, for the first time in more than two decades, there is not one new comedy premiering this fall on NBC.
So why is "Back To You" being hailed as the savior of the sitcom?
Consider its pedegree. Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (not the actor) have worked on some of America's best comedies over the years; the show stars two veterans of sitcoms--Kelsey Grammer ("Cheers;" "Frasier") and Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") as a pair of sparring news anchors for a local television station. And unlike many of the better sitcoms now on the air ("The Office;" "My Name Is Earl;" "30 Rock"), "Back To You" is a multi-camera show filmed before a live studio audience. (So is "Two and a Half Men;" the others I mentioned are filmed with one camera, minus a live audience.) But the show will air on Fox--a network whose last live-action sitcom hit was "That 70's Show;" the Brad Garrett comedy "Till Death" will return for a second season, but it was helped by good numbers when it aired after "American Idol" for several weeks last spring. And the two leads have created such strong characters from the past--particuarly Grammer's Frasier Crane--viewers may have a hard time seeing both Grammer and Heaton in different roles, especially since their old shows continue unabated in reruns.
I've already seen a ten-minute clip of "Back To You" and while I'll wait for a full episode to judge it, the scenes show Grammer and Heaton at their best.
But in television, there is no guarantee "Back To You" can rescue a single genre. If it becomes a hit, great. But remember that much-publicized shows that get early buzz don't always go on to success. (My recent Teletronic article on the death of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" is just one example; there have been many others.)
We'll see on September 19th, when "Back To You" leads off Fox's new Wednesday schedule (followed by "Till Death" and the American version of "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares").
Until next time, happy viewing!