While reality shows like “American Idol” and forensic dramas like “NCIS” dominate television today, popular comedies like the traditionally plotted sitcom “Two and a Half Men” and the character-driven “Desperate Housewives” also share sharply written dialogue and recognizable modern characters like those found in “God of Carnage.” "It’s clear from the ascendancy of certain types of comedy, like the trend exemplified by Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, ‘The 40 Year-Old Virgin,’ ‘Knocked Up,’ that what audiences are seeking in humor is getting more raw and edgy than Simon’s work" said Matthew Maguire, a playwright who is director of the theater program at Fordham University. Full Article at The New York Times