"Last Comic Standing" provides plenty of laughs, groans and the occasional what-the-heck moment

With the lull of summer TV tempting us all -- seriously, I rewatched the sleep-inducing "Top Chef" finale last night because I was bored -- I'm happy to announce that at least Thursdays are safe from such pathetic behavior.

NBC's "Last Comic Standing" is a more-than decent replacement for "The Office" and "30 Rock" time slots. It's a weekly dose of stand-up comedy that far surpasses anything you'll find on those Friday night specials on Comedy Central with a bonus of seeing some of NBC's past and present comic stars who serve as the talent scout team (best pairing so far: Alfonso Ribeiro aka Carlton from "Fresh Prince" and Neil Flynn aka The Janitor from "Scrubs" -- also, what exactly HAS Ribeiro been doing since "Fresh Prince" ended? Anyone?).

The cross-country search is entertaining -- but often bizarre -- as the talent scouts vet the various crazies who believe they're the next Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld or Ellen DeGeneres (or Ru Paul as the case sometimes is). As with "American Idol," the number of William Hung wannabees coming out of the woodwork can get annoying, but the producers do a decent job of editing those down to a blooper reel.

Tonight, "30 Rock" stars Lonny Ross and Keith Powell will head to Miami to hear the aspiring comics from all over the world. Some of the acts, according to Reality TV Magazine, include "Australian twins, an Englishman whose secret weapon is his double bass, and an Israeli comic who does an impression of a stuttering turtle."

Stuttering turtle? Awesome. Sign me up!

With the "Last Comic Standing" tour stopping at the Meyer Theater on Sept. 12 and at Milwaukee's Pabst Theater on Sept. 13, there's no better time than now to get acquainted with the cast and characters. Check it out tonight at 7:30 p.m. at NBC.

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com