The state of TV comedy

For years now, Cable has understood that the traditional half-hour comedy has changed. "Nurse Jackie" wins awards, but it's hardly a chuckle fest. "Louie" is considered a revelation, but it wouldn't work with a laugh track.

You could argue that the best "comedies" throughout the history of the medium have woven in dramatic moments. But now, it seems the "comedies" that get award nomination and attention look more like mini-dramas with some humor sprinkled in.

Of course, the best dramas have known how to lighten the mood from the beginning. "The West Wing" was idealistic, patriotic, and deeply moving. It was also sometimes the funniest show on TV. And it's not alone. You can cry through both pain and laugher, and the best shows know how to get you to do both — often in the same episode.

But while the nature of "comedies" has largely changed all over the TV landscape, on networks its remained a staid formula. There's laugh tracks, corny jokes, a bit of pathos, but not a lot of depth. That's what makes "Mom" such an interesting proposition.

On the surface, it plays like a typical CBS sitcom. And it's largely advertised that way, too. But, now nearing the end of its sophomore season, "Mom" doesn't play like a typical network sitcom — at least it doesn't always play like that.

Sure, the show still has a laugh track and some corny jokes and gags. Thursday's episode was a prime example of that. There were portions of the episode that had me groaning. But then it dug into some real issues — like addiction, relapse, and years of inter-personal baggage — weighty stuff that would be a lot for a cable drama — and it did so in an emotionally gripping way.

Whether CBS always anticipated doing this, or just stumbled into it, remains unclear. What is clear to me is that "Mom" is doing something different, and the fact it gets to keep telling weighty stories in its own way for at least one more (likely two) seasons is fascinating. It could be a sign that the old, clunky model for network sitcoms has reached the point of no return and a new era is upon us.

Only time will tell.