Comedy may be dead, or at least on life support on the major networks, but fortunately, TBS has picked up the ball with a surprise third-season contender, 10 Items Or Less. Described as a “loosely scripted, improvised comedy that follows a dysfuntional group of employees of a fictional family-run grocery store,” the show is actually shot on location in a real grocery store in Reseda, California.

Created and starring John Lehr, whose biggest credit to date was the first post-Married with Children Christina Applegate sitcom, Jesse.   Ironically, shows like Jesse (who remained on the schedule for two years because heavy weight producers from Friends were behind it) helped mark the end of the high days of the sitcom (with help from similar brethren like Veronica’s Closet and Caroline in the City).

Lehr plays Leslie Pool, the manager of Greens & Grains Grocery Store, which he inherited from his father.  With SuperValueMart across the street threatening to put him out of business, Leslie also has to contend with Mercedes “Mercy” P. Jones (played by In Living Color’s Kim Coles), a new nemesis determined to bring the store down.

Rounding the offbeat staff of employees is a Latina produce princess, “Yolanda” (played by Roberta Valderrama), a goofy maintenance man, Carl (played by Bob Clendenin), a spacey courtesy counter greeter, Ingrid (played by Kirsten Gronfield), a hunky butcher, Todd (played by Chris Payne Gilbert), an effeminate grocery clerk (Christopher Liam Moore), and a champion bagger, Buck (played by Greg Davis).

The cast is incredibly talented and charming.  Part of their appeal is due to their relative anonymity, which helps the viewer believe this crazy world truly exists.   Watching them on screen reminds you of the fact that television makes stars — not just recycles them.

Lehr could take a page from Jerry Seinfeld who, during the course of his successful sitcom, never had a problem being upstaged by his co-stars.  Lehr, on the other hand, never seems to not be on the screen for longer than a minute. With a capable cast at his disposal, he and his character would be better served harnessing more of their charm and comedic abilities.

In the second episode, cleverly titled “Eye Can See Clearly,” Leslie has former bag-boy-turned-opthamologist open a Lazik office in the meat section of the grocery store. Volunteering to be his first patient, disaster ensues when Yolanda interrupts the surgery with a new “tube top” design she wants the female employees to wear.

The episode plays out a little predictably but nevertheless still very much entertaining. The show’s creators would be better off making the show even more loosely scripted to take full advantage of the form as well as its gifted cast.  Even still, 10 Items or Less is far more refreshing than any comedy on network television (except maybe 30 Rock).

Leave it to cable to pick up where the networks went wrong.  Clearly, comedy is no longer dead on television.  You just have to look for it.