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Whitney Cummings sort of bristled when it was suggested that her new sitcom is "old-fashioned," but it is. Although she prefers that we call it "traditional."

"Whitney" (Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5) is built around Cummings' stand-up act of Cummings. It's sort of a version of her life. It's shot on a soundstage in front of a live studio audience.

Pretty much just like "Roseanne," "The Cosby Show," "Home Improvement," "Mad About You," "Seinfeld" and so on and so on.

"'Roseanne' has been really important to me," Cummings said. "Her show is one of may favorite shows ever, and I still watch it.

Just as "Roseanne" reflected Roseanne Barr's life, "Whitney" reflects Whitney Cummings' life. She's in a committed relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Alex (Chris D'Elia), but - because of her family history - she's afraid to get married.

Whitney's circle of friends include deliriously happy together Lily (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Neal (Maulik Pancholy); bitter divorcee Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn); and ladies' man Mar (Dan O'Brien).

The show has sort of a "Friends" vibe to it, Whitney and Alex at the center.

With a Whitney Cummings' edge to it.

"Whitney has a perspective on herself," said executive producer Betsy Thomas. "And then our job is to step back and also see Whitney, like, 'No, you're also delightful and lovely.'"

"I'm, like, 'No, I'm not,'" Cummings said.

Even if that's true, the sitcom Whitney is self-deprecating, funny and yet likable. Cummings and D'Elia have great chemistry, and the friends are funny.

Some TV critics, if not TV viewers, are caught up in a show's format. There are filmed-comedy snobs who look down their noses at tradtional, multi-camera sitcom.

While the other three comedies on NBC's Thursday lineup - "Community," "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office" - are all filmed, Thomas said they are "really excited to do a show in front of a live audience. There's nothing more fun. It keeps you honest. I think it makes us all better."

Thomas and Cummings both rejected the notion that the traditional sitcom is dead. "I think it's been working out OK on other networks," Thomas said, and she's right. Among TV's most popular sitcoms are the "Two and a Half Men," "Mike & Molly" and "The Big Bang Theory."

"I certainly watch reruns of 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld' and all those multi-camera shows, and they hold up," Cummings said. "I also think it's the best format for standup comedians, and from 'Drew Carey' and 'Raymond' and 'Cosby' and 'Mad About You' and 'Roseanne' and 'Ellen' and list goes on."

That's a lot to aspire to, but if succeeding episodes of "Whitney" are as funny as the premiere, this show could have a chance to build a legacy of its own.