• The Associated Press, Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:15 AM

Once the staple of broadcast television, the traditional family sitcom has been relegated lately to niche cable channels like TBS, which airs "Engvall" and The Disney Channel, which has "Hannah Montana."

In recent years, the proliferation of Internet and video games and the fragmentation of the American family have undermined the traditional family comedy on network TV. "The family comedy is like that kid in the corner of the quad who's not the coolest kid, but he's a good solid kid," says Michael Wright, content chief for TNT, TBS and TCM. "Everybody wants the hippest and newest thing, but it doesn't mean that this form is no longer relevant."

Cable is taking full advantage of the shortfall. Sitcom writers and producers who ran into roadblocks at the broadcast networks are now surfacing at the Disney Channel and Lifetime to work on several family-oriented programs currently in the works.

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