Sex-scenes sizzle on funniest sitcoms

Monday nights really sizzle – with love, romance and sex – in two of the funniest sitcoms on TV. They are "Two and a Half Men" and "Mike and Molly" from 8 to 9 p.m. on CBS.

I think these two sex-driven comedies are clear-cut winners because they have three key elements that make the shows totally enjoyable:  intriguing characters, really funny dialogue and a believable plot.

"Two and a Half Men," starring Charlie Sheen, has been running since September 2003 and has been renewed through at least the 2011-12 season. It has been ranked among the Top 20 programs every season since the series began.  

Let's face it – Sheen is a hunk. It's hard to take your eyes off him, no matter what show he's in. He stars as Charlie Harper, a hedonistic jingle writer living in a beach house in California and driving a Mercedes.

Then, there's his insecure brother Alan, played by Jon Cryer, who is quite the opposite:  while Charlie sets the ladies on fire with his charm, Alan always does something to extinguish it with his awkwardness.

Their characters complement each other, and that's part of what makes the show work so well.

Adding to the competition of the dueling Harper brothers, mainly over beautiful, sexy women and Alan's living and mooching off Charlie, are other colorful characters that add even more humor to the show.

Angus T. Jones excels at playing the dim-witted teenager Jake, Alan's son, who doesn't see himself as college material. Alan's divorce from his neurotic ex-wife, Judith, is always there to haunt him and Jake gets bounced back and forth from Charlie's house to Judith's.

Conchata Ferrell is excellent in her role as the Harpers' mouthy housekeeper Berta, always wising off about the brothers' bizarre lifestyle and making smart cracks about their sexcapades with the ladies.

Both Charlie and Alan have no love for their narcissistic mother, Evelyn, played to the hilt by Holland Taylor, but they do love Jake and put his interests first, no matter what the kid screws up.

The strong family element carries the show and makes it believable, even though it's rather dysfunctional – but whose family isn't in one way or another?

If there is a problem with "Two and a Half Men," it might be with parents of young teenagers who think there's a bit too many bed scenes and a lot of sex-related chatter – orgasms, penises – little is left to the imagination.  In one episode, even a white cockatoo in Alan's bedroom is talking sex when the blatant bird blurts out, "I'm a bad girl. Spank me."

"Mike and Molly" isn't quite as humorous as "Two and a Half Men," but has somewhat stranger characters as part of a family comedy. A new element is added in this show – both leading stars are obese.

It concerns two professionals, Chicago Police Officer Mike Biggs, played by comedian Billy Gardell, and Melissa McCarthy as his love interest, school teacher Molly Flynn.

The plus-sized couple meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and the romance lights up.  The emphasis on food and overeating permeates the show, which complements the other characters, none of whom are overweight. Perhaps the funniest character on "Mike and Molly"

is Billy's sourpuss mother, Peggy, played by Rondi Reed. Reed is a riot as every son's nightmare.

Between her sarcasm toward Molly, who becomes Billy's girlfriend, her nagging about "her rat-bastard husband" who ran off with a hooker and her ugly little dog, Reed steals the show in every scene she's in. I can imagine every young man cringing if he has a clinging vine like her for a mother.  

The pencil-thin Swoosie Kurtz as Molly's mother, Joyce, and Katy Mixon as her other daughter, Victoria, add a lot of pizzazz to the show with constant sexual chatter.

The attractive Victoria beautifies dead people and seems to resemble one in some scenes when she appears to be spaced out on drugs – the writers really play this up with sexy dialogue that contrasts with Molly's conservative thinking and teaching job.  

Along with Mike and Molly's ongoing romance are Billy's co-worker, Officer Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson) and his friend and Senegalese waiter, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi), who runs a restaurant. Both provide even more humor by offering faulty advice for the insecure Billy as he struggles to win Molly over.

If there is one fault I find with the show since its inception, I would say that Mike and Molly's romance ignited much too quickly – just after the first few shows they had already jumped into bed together. Every show thereafter has a bed scene either at her house or at his apartment.

It's a bit overdone and puts too much focus on their sex life. I would have liked "the chase" to take a little longer before the lovers got that serious about their relationship.

It's hard to beat either of these sitcoms for one hour of pure entertainment. I can't help but wonder, however, what direction "Mike and Molly" will go after this season.

While it seems to be as strong a show as "King of Queens" or "That 70s Show," I'm wondering if either Mike or Molly lose weight as the show progresses, how will that change their relationship, since it's based on their obesity?  If they end up being thin, then the show might lose its focus. Only time will tell if the series will last, but for now, it's a hit, and so is "Two and a Half Men."