Bill Maher's New Rules, March 13, 2009

Bill Maher seems to be tweaking the format of Real Time, and I can't say it really worked for me. For the past two weeks, he's had only two people on his panel, and this week in particular the entire segment just seemed like an extended argument between the two. It got better when he dismissed the guests, and brought on Sarah Silverman, a favorite of mine.

Not that this will ever reach Mr. Maher, but as a long-time watcher, the regular format just works better. Especially when there is a celebrity like Jason Alexander, Gary Shandling or Ben Affleck along with the political guests. It offers an opportunity to see a different side to those we're used to seeing in other contexts. And a three-person panel gives much more diversity to the discussion.

That said, the New Rules segment remained intact, and it didn't disappoint.