Comedy no longer central to TV networks' prime-time programming

The L.A. Times reports:

Comedy may still be a desired staple of prime-time TV, but broadcasters haven't found much to laugh about for the upcoming season.

The TV networks unleashed their 2015-16 evening lineups in New York this week, leaving industry insiders buzzing about the Great Comedy Rollback. Burned by a high number of sitcom flops in recent years, programmers have decided to stop trying to bring the funny.

NBC, onetime home to generation-defining hits "Friends" and "Seinfeld," has exiled comedy to the dead zone of Friday nights. CBS benched "2 Broke Girls" until midseason and decided to take a flier on the drama reboot of "Supergirl," setting up a superhero battle on Mondays with Fox's young-Batman epic, "Gotham."

Here's a telling fact: This will be the first time since 1949 that CBS hasn't kicked off Mondays with a comedy.

Competition.