Entertainment

‘Light’ is off

Either relationships are funnier in Israel, or the Israelis need to ramp up their idea of funny.

Tonight, Fox presents an Israeli comedy with an American passport called “Traffic Light,” which is a big hit over there and has been adapted for American audiences over here.

This rom-com sitcom focuses on three guys in various stages of romance. The producing-writing team of Bob Fisher and David Hemingson, who adapted the show, claim that, “It’s a comedy about three friends and their relationships, but it’s good.” Right off, that’s debatable.

They also say that it is “as true to our own experiences as possible.” Really?

Then let me be the first to offer you my condolences on having had only experiences with cardboard women who intimidate you to the point that you are frightened to even ask to go out for a few beers with your guy friends.

Tonight’s premiere opens — as do all the episodes — with former college roommates Mike (David Denman from “The Office“), Ethan (Kris Marshall) and Adam (Nelson Franklin) all in their cars talking to one another on speaker-phone.

Through a lot of expository dialogue we learn that Mike (who is actually hiding out in his parked car watching “Iron Man” on DVD) is married to Lisa (Liza Lapira). Mike and Lisa have a baby, and that’s why he needs to hide out or else he’d never have peace and quiet enough to watch action movies on TV. Meantime, not once during the first two episodes do we hear or see a baby. In fact, these are the only new parents on earth that have to set an alarm clock to wake up.

Buddy Adam is in his first (and brand new) live-in situation. He has just moved in with Callie (Aya Cash) and, despite trying to make things work, he’s always getting into trouble. He gets caught scheming to have a drink with his buddies and gets put in the doghouse when he wins the same toy dog at the carnival that he has won for previous girlfriends.

Ethan, on the other hand, is the free-as-a-birdshot single guy who drives an ambulance and gets to drink beer whenever he wants. He has a zero record of success in relationships because he always messes up.

On the good side are the actors themselves. With funnier material, they could really make this thing work.

In Treatment,” another scripted show adapted from the Israeli original, works extremely well, but that’s a psycho drama. Literally. To paraphrase the famous comedy circuit maxim, “Dying is easy. Importing comedy is hard.”