With "Friends" and "Frasier" gone and the sitcom given up for dead by some network executives and pundits, CBS, with a little help from Charlie Sheen, is trying to prove that the genre's traditions still have the power to lure millions of viewers, advertisers and an afterlife in syndication.

And they may be right. "Two and a Half Men" has placed in the top 20 shows all year (thanks in part to being positioned between two hits), attracts more than 15 million viewers each week, and ranks as the No. 3 comedy, trailing only "Friends" and "Men's" lead-in, "Everybody Loves Raymond." Buzz has been harder to come by.

"We can't even get a TV Guide cover," quips Sheen, its star.

But at a time when the television industry is embarking on sweeping changes that include year-round original programming and more reality shows than ever, the "Two and a Half Men" crew is among the comedic minority that can afford to relax a little. Especially co-star Jon Cryer, who says he was in "four shows that tanked" before landing on "Two and a Half Men."

"This is the first summer of my career that I'm not stressed out waiting to hear about a show," Cryer says.

Still, nobody's suggesting that sitcoms are a growth industry, certainly not on the order of "reality" programming.

For the past few years, as comedies struggled, networks ordered fewer and fewer each season. So when the six networks announced their fall lineups, only 16 comedies — out of 70 pilots in contention for prime-time slots — made the cut. Last fall, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox broadcast 24 comedies (compared with 46 in fall 1993), devoting considerably more attention to unscripted shows that particularly attract 18- to 34-year-olds, one of the groups most coveted by advertisers. "We want to be in the comedy business, but when you look at the threshold of comedy as of late, inarguably, it's the toughest genre to crack right now," says Jordan Levin, the WB's chief executive officer.

A review of the audiences for the season's top 10 comedies shows helps explain why. According to Nielsen Media Research data, at least half of the viewers of traditional sitcoms, such as "Two and a Half Men," and "According to Jim," are 50 and older and live in middle American cities.

But CBS executives, who can boast that five of the top 10 comedies are on its network, think they can still milk some life out of a form that others have all but given up on. "Still Standing" finished its freshman season as the top new comedy last year, and "Two and a Half Men" followed in those footsteps this year — leaving edgy and offbeat comedies such as Fox's "Arrested Development" in the dust.

CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves says his competitors are quick to declare the genre dead because "they haven't had a hit in years. It's much easier to denigrate the form than to say a show didn't work."

So CBS will continue to play it straight when it plays for laughs. The comedies it picked up for fall are "Center of the Universe," a family-oriented show starring John Goodman — veteran of the archetypal '80s and '90s sitcom "Roseanne" — and "Listen Up," starring Jason Alexander.

"Clearly, 'Two and a Half Men' has benefited from an ideal slot, between ratings powerhouses "Raymond" and "CSI: Miami." But even being scheduled between hits does not guarantee success. On NBC's "Must-See TV" Thursdays, "Coupling," "Inside Schwartz" or "Jesse" failed even when they aired between "Friends" and "Will & Grace."

Even in its infancy, "Two and a Half Men" beat "Raymond" three times — once during February sweeps — indicating it has the best chance of any new sitcom to succeed in off-network syndication, which is where the big bucks lie.