Earlier this week, I posted that Back to You has everything going for it. It stars sitcom veterans, was written by creators of past hits, and the pilot was directed by sitcom guru James Burrows. Still, somehow it comes across as little stale.

The Big Bang Theory is likewise a powerhouse of talent. It also offers an experienced cast, featuring Johnny Galecki of Roseanne and Kaley Cuoco of 8 Simple Rules (and her water bra.) Chuck Lorre (Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady wrote the script. And the pilot was directed by sitcom guru James Burrows.

But the difference between these two new sitcoms is significant. The Big Bang Theory feels soooo much fresher.

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I tried writing a time travel movie once. It doesn’t work. If I could use a time machine to go back in time, I’d tell my younger self not to write a time travel movie.

To successfully pull it off, one must make the rules of one’s fictional conceit and universe extremely clear to the viewer, while still satisfying logic. That’s why Groundhog Day works, and Journeyman does not. One must find a simple method of exposition that keeps the hero and audience understanding what is happening without feeling forced. That is why Quantum Leap works, and Journeyman does not. One must give one’s protagonist a real possibility of affecting the outcome, despite the immutability and paradox of time shifting. This is why Back to the Future works, and Journeyman very much does not.

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In a way, I’m really rooting for this show to succeed. In a world where sitcoms have lost their footing, Back to You represents a network putting faith in a traditional, old school, three-camera, half-hour program. And while I have long since become more a fan of one-cameras that let me laugh when I want to, high ratings for Back to You would mean a chain reaction of copycat shows. Which means more potential jobs for me. Which is only a good thing.

There’s much sitcom power concentrated behind Back to You. The pilot was written by Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me!) and Christopher Lloyd (Frasier.) It was directed by sitcom god James Burrows (Cheers, Will & Grace, every sitcom ever.) The cast has a combined 8,000 years of television experience.

Sadly, for the first 18 minutes, all that old-school experience comes off as… old.

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Asked who I admire in the field of screenwriting, I suppose I’d give many of the standard answers. There’s a reason David Koepp makes the money he does. Charlie Kaufman is a mad genius. William Goldman has a career of mostly masterpieces, and Lawrence Kasdan’s credits include some biggies. Then of course you’ve some of my faves, like Alan Ball, Cameron Crowe, and of course Joss. But I just watched the first episode of the BBC miniseries Jekyll, and I’m thinking that Steven Moffat’s name belongs on the short list.

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Maybe it’s not as cool as the Beowulf one I put up yesterday, but I’m no less excited by Iron Man.

With a release date of next May, clearly this is Marvel’s attempt at filling the Spider-Man void (till the 2009 release of Spider-Man 4, according to IMDb, but it’s hard to say how official that news is…) I’m curious to see if a relatively more obscure comic book hero like Iron Man can translate to a big box office hit the way the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises did. The trailer looks great. It’s got star power in Robert Downy Jr. and Gwynneth Paltrow, plus a nicely character-driven story line. (Tony Stark, Iron Man’s secret identity, is a billionaire weapons tycoon with a drinking problem and physical limitations.)

Then again, Ghost Rider had all that going for it, too…