Look past the show's one weakness, which, unfortunately, comes in its premise.
The reason Manhattan single father George (Jeremy Sisto) and his teenage daughter Tessa (Jane Levy) move to the suburbs in the ABC comedy "Suburgatory" (which premieres tonight at 8:30 p.m.) is that he finds condoms in her room.
Tessa says they're not hers (they're not), and since she's painted as a savvy, down to earth kid, packing up and moving away from the big city because of a few condoms seems… contrived for the sake of a sitcom plot. Which it is.
Also, if George has seen even one episode of "16 and Pregnant" or "Teen Mom," he should thank his lucky stars condoms, anybody's, are on her radar.
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But that's nitpicking, because "Suburgatory" — which you're going to keep pronouncing as "Suburbatory," trust me — is one of the most fun, sweetest new shows of the season, and one that fits right into its Wednesday night comedy spot at ABC.
Like "The Middle" before it, and "Modern Family" after it, "Suburgatory's" humor is relatable, but not so broad that it feels like a retread of everything else already on TV. The show is also irreverent, but with a heart.
George and Tessa both end up feeling like they've moved to another planet when they settle in the 'burbs, where George's dreams of wholesomeness are met with uber-tanned, waxed and surgically-enhanced moms and their offspring.
Or, as the delightfully droll Tessa puts it, "Pretty ironic that a box full of rubbers landed me in a town full of plastic."
Not that Tessa's one of those one-liner spouting, only-on-TV teenagers. That would be exhausting.
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She's also a teenage girl trying to make it through the angsty teenage girl years without her mom, who has skipped out.
Her neighbor, Dallas ("Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Cheryl Hines), is the kind of tanned-to-the-bejesus, fake plastic housemom Tessa will continue to mock. But there's a nice moment of bonding between the two in the premiere that perfectly illustrates how Tessa and her new cohorts are willing to find some common ground.
If it can continue this kind of writing, "Suburgatory" will be a welcome addition to ABC's Wednesday night neighborhood.
