At least in terms of primetime television, that is. It seems as if the heyday of medical dramas and reality shows has come and gone because this year, one thing is certain — the best shows of 2009 are all comedies.

The Thursday night comedy “trifecta” consists of The Office at 9 p.m. on NBC, followed by 30 Rock at 9:30 and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10 p.m. on FX.

But what is it about these hilarious hits that attract so many young people?

Senior business major Alison Willman particularly enjoys The Office because it hits close to home.

“As a business major who has done several internships in various offices, I can related to a lot of the shenanigans that go on,” Willman said.

The Office and the others attract many viewers because of their quirky characters and the no holds barred-style plots of each 30-minute episode.

“All the characters exhibit abnormalities that are somewhat relatable,” junior English major Oona Urbanski said. “It’s hard to show a character’s weaknesses and these shows accomplish that in a funny way.”

The comedies are unique as well in the way that they employ “unconventional” production styles. The Office is filmed documentary-style, and all three shows do not use a “laugh track” that come standard in many 30-minute comedies.

Senior criminology major Devon Kelly enjoys It’s Always Sunny for these reasons in particular.

“It’s not a stereotypical type of show,” Kelly said. “They keep coming up with new material. The writers take old jokes from previous episodes and continue to use them backhandedly in later ones to connect them.”

Because a funny show is ten times more entertaining when watching it with other people, it is not surprising that most college students gather for the Thursday night triple threat with friends.

Senior fire protection engineering major Jon Heim watches them with his roommates in their apartment and many other students watch in even larger groups.

Heim noted his favorite Office episode as “the one where Michael (Steve Carell) falls into a koi pond” and “the one where Pam (Jenna Fischer) punches Michael.”

Kelly and Urbanski enjoyed “the roadtrip” and “the world series defense” episodes of It’s Always Sunny.

The entertainment industry has also recognized the accomplishments of these shows over the past few seasons.

30 Rock had a record 22 Emmy nominations this year and won the award for “Best Comedy Series” for the third year in a row. It’s Always Sunny is now in its fifth season and The Office is in its sixth.

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