Up All Night

It's surprising that two of the best recent sitcoms both feature actors who first came to fame through that horrible 80's thing call Married With Children. It's even more interesting that they are both mining somewhat the same vein in their new shows - a sendup of the modern family.

Christina Applegate is wonderful in this role, unafraid to be unattractive and conveying the tribulations of new motherhood with an odd, but realistic, combination of grit, excitement, wonder and denial. Hers is the most believable portrayal of motherhood I've seen in a long time. Even Will Arnett (who was in that other show that explored modern families and that remains astonishingly over-rated)is at his best.