Last Comic Standing

* When and where: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, 9News

If you're a reality-show junkie dreading the end of American Idol tonight, you have two choices: You can curl up in the fetal position and shriek like Paris Hilton after breaking the heel of her Manolo Blahniks, or you can hitch your entertainment hopes to another reality bandwagon.

Thursday, two such vehicles leave the garage: Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and NBC's Last Comic Standing.

Comic's sixth season kicks off with a 90-minute special showcasing more of what we've come to love (or loathe) about the reality competition: Stand-up comedians trying to make viewers and the judges laugh.

Thursday's premiere is split between New York City and Tempe, Ariz., with the participants following the usual lineup of inspired, insipid and borderline insane.

There's the man in the chicken suit, the fat guy who comes in wearing a bikini and the exile from Pluto dressed like a cross between a Sith and an alligator. For a moment I thought it was Bea Arthur without makeup.

Comics audition for two celebrity judges, who then decide whether to pass them on to do a full set at a comedy club that night. There, the audience votes for who should advance to the next round.

Bill Bellamy is back as the lackluster host. British personality Fearne Cotton is billed as a "special correspondent," although as near as I can tell that entails giggling a lot and asking stupid questions of comics standing in line to audition. Did she leave England of her own volition or was she deported?

Producers promise that this season will feature comedians from more than 20 countries, including England, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, Japan and Israel.

New York judges are Richard Belzer, who was a gifted comedian before turning to drama on Law & Order: SVU, and Steve Schirripa, late of The Sopranos and also a correspondent for The Tonight Show.

In Arizona, actress Kathy Najimy and Fred Willard do the judging honors. One of the show's funniest moments is when a comedian comes screaming off the stage during his routine and Najimy recoils as though she's being carjacked.

Says one dejected contender to Willard after being rejected: "I thought you were dead."

"Talent scouts" for future episodes include The Office's Angela Kinsey and Oscar Nunez, Dave Foley, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger.

The top 12 comedy acts will vie for the ultimate crown in Las Vegas. The grand prize is $250,000 and a development deal with NBC.

Last Comic Standing can prove a valuable showcase for a comic's career. Denverite Josh Blue won the competition in 2006 and hasn't stopped working since.

There's some funny stuff on the opening show, but also plenty of silly filler. How many shots of people standing in line does one show need?

Still, if the past is any indication, Last Comic Standing should get funnier as the season progresses.

Once they've weeded out all the mad hatters, we'll get down to the meat and potatoes of humor.