Remember when WGN America was cool?

I do. I wrote about it.

Actually, that link is to a story bemoaning the fact that WGN America was scrapping its Outta Sight Retro Night Sundays and therefore would not be cool anymore. But trust me, it was. It used to show "Honeymooners" each week, and we know how rare black and white 2950s TV is, except for a few evergreens, in major cable television.

Well, we can really stick a fork in WGN America. This article by Pavan Badal at Sitcoms Online reports on the newest additions to the channel's roster of recent and still-airing series: "Mad About You" and "'Til Death."

I have enjoyed "Mad About You" on occasion, but not only did it air on Nick at Nite a few years ago, it is running right now on Antenna TV. Plus it was in local syndication in the interim, and much of it is on DVD. My point is that this is not a rare show, and even if it were--and I realize cable is different than a service like Antenna--why pick it up now when it already has significant national play on another outlet (one owned by the same parent company, too, which may be partial explanation)?

As for "'Til Death," the show whose claim to fame is that it somehow overtook "According to Jim" as the most unkillable sitcom on television and confounded audiences and critics alike for years by not...going...away, well, incredibly, not only is WGN giving the reruns of this show a go, it is not showing it exclusively. Friends, "'Til Death" is going into broadcast syndication as well, meaning this Fall, you may well see the show each day on TWO different channels in your area.

Other debuts on WGN this fall: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (played heavily on FX and on Comedy Central right now), "30 Rock" (well, I'm not a fan, but this might work), and "Futurama" (played extensively on several different networks over the years).

Long gone are the days of "Newhart," let alone something as old as "Bob Newhart." WGN America now has its feet planted firmly in the unexciting present and the not-so-thrilling recent past.