The Miami Record-Dispatch ("Dave's World")

Dave Barry worked alone, but his inspirations were everywhere: his cool-headed wife, his angst-ridden older son, his adorable younger son and his oddball friends. Life was weird enough in suburban Florida that the Miami Herald humorist never had to make anything up -- hence his catch phrase: "I am NOT making this up!" Based on the actual books of the actual life of Dave Barry, Florida funnyman and bumbling middle-class dad, "Dave's World" revealed how the columnist's daily rituals can shape his writing -- especially rituals that involve playing the guitar badly, driving too early in the morning and digging a forest of marijuana plants out of newly purchased real estate. Joyous and off-kilter, Dave's world was truly another planet.

WNYX ("NewsRadio")

Very little about "NewsRadio" had to do with reporting the news. Instead, the WNYX team seemed more interested in Dave's clandestine affair with Lisa, Bill's crushing jabs and disgusting personal habits, Matthew's posh new desk and Joe the Handyman's biceps. The "NewsRadio" team was about as interested in breaking news as "Night Court" was interested in justice, but their surreal fun reached new heights in later years: orbiting the Earth as an extra-terrestrial radio station, then sinking into the Atlantic as an alternative Titanic. WNYX never broadcast a substantial story, but "NewsRadio" made up for it in one-liners.

"Sports Night"

The staff of "Sports Night" didn't last long, but like the real-life "Sports Center," this show packed a wallop. Witty, fast-paced and not particularly interested in sports, "Sports Night" replaced gridiron with relationship grit. Filmed much like "The Office," with being-there cinematography and semirealistic dialogue, "Sports Night" was punchy and unpredictable -- especially when the producers started shaking off an unnecessary laugh track. The series quietly vanished after two seasons so that lead writer Aaron Sorkin could take on politics with his "West Wing," but the DVD collection still scores.

"The Daily Show"

Since its first airing, "The Daily Show" has billed itself as a "fake" news program. But like all satire, between the jokes and jibes, there lie kernels of honest commentary. Jon Stewart plays a goofy, wisecracking version of himself -- a real-life man who truly cares about America and the world. His interactions with a crack-team of reporters (emphasis on the "cracked") slash through the dizzying nonsense of sound bites and "action news." Steven Colbert, Samantha Bee and John Oliver are rigid caricatures of on-the-spot reporters, and their interviews are brutally edited for comic effect, but "The Daily Show" offers an alternative, often poignant take on major issues. When he interviews an important guest, Stewart tends to drop the act -- and, unlike his late-show contemporaries, his questions can cut into tender meat and reveal surprising answers. It may be a "fake" news show, but its Peabody Award is quite real.