Is it just me, or are some of ...

Question: Is it just me, or are some of the new and mid-season shows just rip-offs of current/past shows? Last year, when Jake in Progress was debuting, ABC touted it as being "same city, opposite sex." (In other words, the same concept of another very successful show. Personally, I thought Jake was a cute, clever show and I look forward to its return.) Like Sex and the City, Jake is basically about the adventures of an attractive, successful person navigating the dating scene. Then, in the fall, we got Freddy, which is about an attractive, successful person navigating the dating scene. And let's not forget the regrettable Hot Properties. Now, the same network is touting yet another show, Emily's Reasons Why Not, which is about — you guessed it — an attractive, successful person navigating the dating scene. This doesn't even address CBS' shows How I Met Your Mother and the ridiculously named Love Monkey. I realize there are only so many premises to be used in sitcoms, and it seems we're just coming down from the "stupid husband, self-righteous wife" family-comedy trend. But whatever happened to the workplace comedy or any original concept? And speaking of "borrowing" themes, viewers of ABC have been clubbed over the head with promos for Crumbs. Can you say "Arrested Development rip-off?" Even the new show In Justice seems like a melding of Boston Legal, Cold Case and Prison Break. What is your opinion of these new-but-not-original shows? (In the interest of total disclosure, I do like How I Met Your Mother; it's one of the very few sitcoms I watch.) Thanks for your opinions and insight.
Answer: The fact that you liked Jake last season and still like How I Met Your Mother shows how tricky it is to judge a show merely on its concept and on how it looks on paper or in promos. A truly original concept is rare on TV, and it's hardly a surprise to see shows come along trying new twists on established hit formulas. Everything boils down to execution. The success of a show like Emily, for instance, depends on how much you like Heather Graham (or not) and on the writing, not on whether you've ever seen a show about someone like Emily before. For me, though, of the new mid-season crop I've sampled so far (I haven't dealt yet with many of the shows that won't arrive until March), the only shows I'd make an actual appointment to watch are Love Monkey and The Book of Daniel. The rest range from good, but not great, to dismal. I'll be weighing in on more of them as the weeks go on.