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I’ve heard many an industry professional–and not the unwise kind, mind you–declare the death of the sitcom. With poor ratings and countless failures to make it out of pilot over the last half decade, one must concede a severe low point for the art form. Still, one has to believe we’ll always want comic relief from television, and even the most embittered network exec knows it.

Need evidence? Consider the recent rumored skirmish between ABC and NBC over Scrubs. While clearly on its last legs, it still has a potential buyer in ABC, who, given that they are considering yet another season of According to Jim, are clearly desperate for comedy. (Of course, how much sympathy can we feel for the network that greenlit Caveman?)

I expect, though, that the sitcom is simply reinventing itself. In 30 Rock, The Office, and others, we see dramatically different style than the comedy that has come before. And we’re not just talking 3-camera versus 1-camera shows. The tone is just different. There’s much less set-up, set-up, punchline humor (and I can’t say that I miss it…)  The various plot lines are a bit more surreal, and most importantly they are unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Enter Unhitched, the teaser to which involves a man being violated by an orangutan. Yeah… that qualifies as unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Best aspect: The witty throwaway jokes.

Worst aspect: Some lame sight gags in a love montage. Also, the last joke left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Verdict: Unhitched is uneven and tonally unsure of itself. It felt like the work of five writers, each of whom finds something different really funny. But, the show is original. Laughs weren’t exactly overflowing, but I’m guessing the show could find its legs giving time. The cast is interesting. Rashida Jones proves that her charisma on The Office was no fluke, even with minimal screen time. I definitely find myself wishing some of the humor was a bit smarter.

Odds of success: Fox’s Sunday night of animation has continually earns decent ratings. This might be the live-action show that best fits in their grouping. If it grows stronger as it goes, it’s not unlikely that Unhitched could find fertile soil. At the same time, quirky is a risk. Then again, mainstream isn’t working… I guess I’m calling it a toss-up.