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TV: Corddry is the biggest loser on Fox's moronic 'Winner'
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There are so many losers who emerge in Fox's "The Winner."

The viewers, for one, are treated to a typically moronic sitcom. But the guy who loses the most is star Rob Corddry, the former correspondent for "The Daily Show" who has earned a cadre of fans with his wry and biting humor.

Unfortunately, you won't find that on display here, because Fox has stripped what's really funny about Corddry and placed him in the most common of half-hour comedies.

The series debuts Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13. Another episode airs at 8:30 p.m.

Corddry plays 32-year-old Glenn Abbott, a hyperactive kid-at-heart who still lives with his parents and refuses to grow up.

The high-school love of his life, Alison (Erinn Hayes), moves back into her mother's home across the street, which reignites Glenn's secret admiration for her.

But best of all, Alison has a 13-year-old son, Josh (Keir Gilchrist), whom Glenn can hang out with. So the series becomes the story of a kid and his best friend whose Peter Pan syndrome is supposed to be funny.

In the first couple of episodes, Glenn and Josh wallow through the typical comedic plot points - going on a double date together, giving each other pointers on having sex for the first time.

The problem is that Corddry deserves better material. Putting him in a tired domestic comedy with stale jokes doesn't exploit his comic talent.

Created by "Family Guy" point man Seth Macfarlane, "The Winner" is hardly a winning combination of actor and writing, nor is it a winning comedy for television.

Streaming success: NBC is leading the online television revolution.

The Peacock network announced this week it would put full season episodes of 17 series on its Web site at www.NBC.com, including "Heroes," "Friday Night Lights," "The Apprentice: Los Angeles" and "My Name Is Earl."

The network also is making its midseason series - "The Black Donnellys," "Raines" and "Andy Barker P.I." - available online. The pilots for "Raines" and "Andy Barker" will even be posted on the site before they premiere in the middle of this month.

While other media conglomerates like Viacom are trying to pull their programming - Comedy Central's "South Park," for example - from YouTube and other places on the Internet, NBC has been putting free television programming online because it believes that could boost ratings.

The early experiment of putting "The Office" on iTunes for download did help that show's ratings.

Making TV shows available through digital distribution services on the Internet and viral video sites like YouTube will only publicize these programs, not promote piracy as some networks think.

The more opportunities you give people to watch the series they missed, the bigger chance those shows will become the water-cooler talk for tomorrow. "Heroes" is a perfect example of using the Internet to promote the show to science-fiction/fantasy geeks.

NBC even shows episodes online with director and actor commentary tracks, as on special-edition DVDs, and with deleted scenes.

Networks need to embrace the Internet and think of it less as the enemy. It's proving to be a great way keep viewers in the loop on their favorite shows.

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* VINCE HORIUCHI'S column appears Mondays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607.

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