Ladies and gentlemen, we have a breakthrough. Finally, a TV show about a teenager's life – without the angst.

“Everybody Hates Chris” depicts comedian Chris Rock's youth in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a poor Brooklyn, NY neighborhood. As a teenager, Chris takes two buses to school, deals with bullies and racial stereotyping (by both students and teachers), gets robbed by street thugs, and acts as the “emergency adult” when his parents can't look after him and his siblings. Basically, Chris has to deal with real life, which is, in my opinion, one of the main selling points of the show.

With Rock as co-creator, you're bound to get comedy. “Everybody Hates Chris” offers an overdose of laughter. The adversity that Chris faces in each episode, his family's behavior, and Rock's narration create the show's comedic atmosphere.

The success of a show, however, obviously isn't possible without interesting characters. Chris (played by Tyler James Williams) is probably the only normal character on the show. Chris isn't exactly funny, but his state of being victimized by the others and being the butt of jokes make him amusing. Roch­elle (Tichina Arnold) is Chris's mother, and she is simply intimidating, threatening her children with “shoving her foot so far up their behinds that they'll have toes for teeth.” She is ­undoubtedly one of the more vibrant characters on the show, providing a satisfying balance between fear and sass. Julius (Terry Crews) is Chris's penny-pinching father, who seems to know the cost of everything. Drew (Tequan Richmond) is Chris's younger brother but is seemingly better than him at everything, except school. To round out the family, Tonya (Imani Hakim) is the younger sister, who constantly causes trouble for her brothers.

There are some things about “Everybody Hates Chris” that the viewer may not enjoy. Some episodes have plotlines that are simple and leave something to be desired. For example, in one episode, Chris simply chases his crush, and in another, he tries to cope with the thoughts of his friend stealing his bike. It's also predictable that Chris's plans will backfire on him. However, the show's high points – like its comedy and characters – easily make up for this.

“Everybody Hates Chris” is refreshingly different from other shows. Its comedic ­nature, basic plot of a teenager having to handle real-life situations, and diverse characters make for an extremely successful sitcom that garnered nominations for Golden Globe and Emmy awards. This show is a humorous representation of adolescent life that will delight adults and children alike.