I'm not an "easy" laugh. Few things that are not happening live and in front of me, or told to me animatedly by a friend face-to-face, make me laugh. Television rarely makes me laugh with the exception of things like Two and A Half Men (a guilty pleasure) and, for some reason, the recently-departed Jenna Elfman vehicle Accidentally On Purpose. Maybe it's because I had a toddler at the time, or maybe it's because of the chemistry between Elfman and her roommates, but that show made me laugh out loud. Another show is gone too soon.

If you haven't seen the show, or you are tired of watching Dharma & Greg re-runs, then buying the complete series/first season is a cheap price to pay. Elfman's successful movie critic, Billie, has a fling with a "younger" man, Zack (Jon Foster, Stay Alive), gets pregnant, and finds that living "platonically" with Zack seems to be an appropriate way to make sure there's a man about the house. As the two of them negotiate the rocky waves of a young relationship, they are abetted and confused by their friends and community, like Billie's sister, Abby (Lennon Parham, Parks and Recreation), her best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen, Ugly Betty, Extras), and Zack's pothead roommate, Davis (Nicholas Wright).

I'm aware that if you're reading this, then sex and a baby first, relationship later, is probably not your standard operating procedure. Based on what happens over the course of the season, it proves not to be Billie's or Zack's SOP either, but it makes for an interesting discussion about expectations about age, gender roles, premarital sex, marriage, and commitment. Sure, some of those things would best be served up in a specific order, but in Accidentally On Purpose, life doesn't come at you the way you hope it will all of the time, kind of like... real life.

Whether Zack and Billie are negotiating various pot pitfalls thanks to Davis (an easy laugh in every scene!) or trying to figure out what it means to be good parents before and after birth, there's something building here that looks a lot like real love. I have to admit that I thought the end result (which I was hoping was NOT the end result because my wife and I both dug the show) was something I could be pretty pleased with and one that seemed to show some hope and inspiration for people working through a situation. These two find commitment, respect, and courage to face things together. Sure, it's a comedy, but it's one about making life and then realizing that there's some responsibility that goes with the easy sex beforehand.

Maybe you know someone who could use a discussion starter on what it means to embrace "love and marriage." And a few laughs.