VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

 

NBC did something on Monday that, only a month or so ago, almost no one would’ve guessed it would do.

 

It gave its Thursday night rookie Kath & Kim a full-season order, which means that NBC is either so devoid of hits that it’ll keep anything it’s got on the air or the network truly believes in the show.

 

Or both. Either way, that’s a good thing. Kath & Kim is a hoot and star Molly Shannon is too good to go back to wherever she’s been the past few years.

 

The sitcom will be on the air for the remainder of the season, or at least NBC will have enough episodes to keep it on the air through May, provided K&K holds up in the ratings.

 

NBC says the show is pulling about 6 million viewers every week. That’s not bona-fide hit territory, but it’s on par with NBC’s My Name is Earl, which is still funny despite occasionally feeling like it’s been on the air too long.

 

I like K&K, I’ll confess, mostly for its lineage.

 

The Australian version of Kath & Kim, which for a while was airing on Sundance Channel, is hysterical in a way that few American sitcoms are. The characters are gross, over-the-top and utterly insane.

 

But I also like Kath & Kim, the American version, because of Shannon. She wasn’t my cup of tea when she was on Saturday Night Live years ago. But, since then, she’s appeared from time to time on other shows, notably Will & Grace, where she had a recurring role as Will and Grace’s borderline psychotic neighbor.

 

Shannon in W&G honed her unique style, which is probably most easily described as a series of women on the edge – so out of control that’s she funny in a way that suggests the funny can easily give way to scary.

 

Click on “Video Clips” to watch a recap of Kath & Kim.

 

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