Joe sitcom

His couch is sacred. He's a little pudgy and not terribly bright. He's a "guys' guy" who works a lunch-pail job and likes to drink beer and eat bratwurst. He claims he's always right - but in the end, it's his comely, intelligent wife who wins the battles.

Sounds like Kevin James's character on "King of Queens" (CBS), right? Or, wait, is it Jim Belushi's role on "According to Jim"? (ABC) Or how about Mark Addy's character on "Still Standing"? (CBS)

Actually, it could be any of almost a dozen male characters who are belching and misbehaving all over prime-time sitcoms as their longsuffering wives try to keep them in line. He's Joe Sitcom, and he's everywhere.

Shows such as "Yes, Dear," "My Wife and Kids," "Everybody Loves Raymond," and "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" are paying homage to the granddad of family-guy satire, Jackie Gleason, while portraying modern-day women as the heroines of the household.

"This is a time when there are more male characters who are the butt of the jokes for being dumb or insensitive or childish or lazy than ever before," says Gary Edgerton, chair of communications at Old Dominion University. The "little household drudges," as Betty Friedan characterized women's roles in the '60s, have become "the male dolts of today."

To be sure, the boisterous male comedian has been around since the '50s, when Ralphie Boy would shout "Bang! zoom!" on "The Honeymooners." In the '70s, the curmudgeonly Archie Bunker turned "Father Knows Best" on its head. Then in the '80s, Al Bundy and Homer Simpson ushered in the latest era of dumb dads and dysfunctional families.

The difference now is not just how prevalent the boorish guy is on sitcoms, but also how "childish" and "lazy" the characters have become, Edgerton says.

On "Yes, Dear," for instance, Mike O'Malley's character teaches his son how to write his name in the snow with urine. On an upcoming episode of Fox's "Oliver Beene," which debuts Sunday, the father (Grant Shaud) moons everyone at a prestigious club when he and his wife are denied membership. On "According to Jim," Belushi's character once traded in the family minivan for a sports car - without consulting his wife - to impress an attractive saleswoman.

Some cultural observers say white American men are subjected to more ridicule because they are the only safe targets left in a politically correct era.

While no economic class of white men is immune to satire, sitcom writers often home in on the working class as a basis to create their emotionally obtuse characters. On "King of Queens" Doug Heffernan (James) is a parcel deliverer, and on "Still Standing," Bill Miller (Addy) is a toilet salesman. Unlike Archie Bunker, who was a dock foreman, today's characters are not racist, but they seem uncomfortable with homosexuality.

Pop-culture experts also say the onslaught of sitcoms about men behaving badly reflects a state of confusion over changing gender roles and where the "average Joe" fits into the postfeminist world. As a result, producers are lampooning traditional Ward Cleaver roles and exaggerating cultural shifts for comedy's sake.

"We are reflecting the reality of two- income families and a little bit of confusion, and trying to do your best when it comes to parenting," says Tracy Gamble, executive producer of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." The satire of modern-day families stars Katey Sagal (of "Married with Children") and John Ritter (of "Three's Company"), who plays an immature dad learning to help his career wife raise the kids.

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