'Whitney' on NBC is a girl's sitcom

COMEDY PREMIERE

"Whitney"

WHEN | WHERE Tonight at 9:30 on NBC/4.

REASON TO WATCH Adult girls just wanna have (real) fun.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Stand-up sensation Whitney Cummings wrote and stars as a funky, klutzy photographer who's coming up on three years living with her bearded cyber-whiz boyfriend Alex (Chris D'Elia). After attending a wedding -- where she commits faux pas galore -- Whit fears the freshness is fading.

Her acerbic gal pals help her head to a sex shop for a nurse outfit with which to surprise her guy, who's so surprised, he winds up in the hospital. That's where Whit's much-divorced mom (Jane Kaczmarek) makes an appearance that clarifies why Whit's so afraid to be wed.

MY SAY Yup, there's a lot of sex talk here. But it's refreshingly authentic, and distinctively Whitney, with her new-generation perspective and brisk verbal rhythms. (Also heard in CBS' "2 Broke Girls," which Cummings co-created.) There's relatable energy in those clipped interjections and run-on sentences. Sharp observational asides, not strained punch lines, provoke live-audience laughs.

And as genuine girl asides, they're especially welcome in a sitcom world dominated by guys. Fresh, candid humor acknowledges armpit fat and underwire bras ("It's like I'm leaning on a fence"). And the show's core relationship is appealingly relaxed. It dares to suggest successful coupledom lies less in heated passion than in being able to dress down and screw up and know you're still loved.

BOTTOM LINE Wow, what a concept!

GRADE A-