I have a real affection for the WB’s Friday night sitcom line-up, particularly my beloved Reba and the fluffy What I Like About You. Sure they’re not breaking sitcom ground the way that Arrested Development or Everybody Hates Chris is, but they’re always reliable for some laughs.

Last Friday night reminded me of why I enjoy both shows; Reba and What I Like About You aren’t just funny, they both have a good heart. Sure, silliness may ensue along but the way, but by the conclusion of each show’s episode the issues have been responded to in an accepting and compassionate way.

What I Like About You, which Entertainment Weekly correctly describes as a “sweet decent little sitcom” (Issue# 848, Nov. 4/05), nicely dealt with Val and Holly’s father coming out as gay in "Someone's in the Kitchen with Daddy". Barry Bostwick (Spin City) guest starred as their dad, Jack, so that made the episode even more fun.

The sisters find out Jack's gay when they see him kissing his - clearly more than - business partner (sadly off screen). I loved it when one of the girls described it as “Man on man action.” When their dad tells them he’s gay, Val responds: “We don’t care who you’re in love with. As long as you’re happy.” Awww. There’s also this fun moment when Jack asks: “What should we toast to?” And Val responds: “The blue states?”

The episode ends with Jack and his partner singing a gay version of Summer Nights (from Grease) and the whole cast singing along. An awesome ending to a sweet episode.

Reba dealt with Barbra Jean’s recent weight gain (the actress, Melissa Peterman, was pregnant in real life at the time this episode was taped). The WB’s description for the episode, "Have Your Cake", is misleading because it suggests that the issue is resolved by Cheyenne, who suggests that she and Reba go on a diet with Barbra Jean to help her out – this is not the case.

Although the women go on a diet together, it is not the resolution of the issue, it just leads to the real issue: body image. The episode does a great job of examining the pressures that women face about their appearance. ( Lots of details about the excellent Reba episode, Have Your Cake. )

This episode reaffirmed my love of Reba because the show is always willing to tackle issues that I rarely see explored anywhere else. Interestingly the same day I watched this Reba episode I also caught a Numb3rs episode from a few weeks ago in which Samaire Armstrong (Anna on The O.C.) guest starred. I was horrified by her appearance; Samaire has always been a skinny woman, however it looks like she’s lost a distressing amount of weight. She doesn’t look healthy. Reba may have had the characters succumb to beauty conventions by dieting but I’m glad for this Reba episode - especially since the characters ultimately reject beauty pressures - because it seems like no one else is talking about this issue on television in a real way.

I love knowing that I can turn on What I Like About You for a fun, non-offensive, sweet half-hour. It’s also awesome to know that Reba's still the place I can go for laughs and relatable issues that are approached in a thoughtful and satisfying way. Heck, it also has some of my favourite kick ass women on television: Reba and Barbra Jean are right up there with Buffy and Veronica Mars as tough and formidable heroines!!