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Emily's cause isn't helped by her friends, who egg on her suspicions. It all results in a predictably precious misunderstanding.

Graham is an appealing presence as the title character, all confused charisma and insecurity. Her verbal sparring with office rival Glitter (the ruthless Smith Cho) is one of the show's highlights.

What Emily ultimately lacks, despite a potentially unique premise, is originality. The show comes off like a kinder, gentler Sex in the City --only without the sharp with and the keen understanding of gay culture.

And despite GLAAD's praise, Payton's take on the African-American, gay sidekick comes off as little more than a slight comic stereotype. Josh is all witty one-liners and snappy comebacks, but to be fair, the same can be said of female best friend Reilly. Future episodes will indicate whether the supporting characters are developed or as left as background accessories.

On the other hand, Crumbs puts its gay character front and center. Savage plays Mitch, the estranged son of a family who returns home after a failed career as a Hollywood screenwriter. There's so much going on in the show's first episode, however, that it's tough to get a firm take on Mitch's life as a gay man.

What we do know is that Mitch is also recovering from a bad break-up, and that he has not revealed his sexuality to his family. They'd likely have little time to listen. Mitch has returned to his small New England hometown to take care of his mother, Suzanne (Jane Curtin), who is being discharged from a psychiatric facility after trying to run her husband over with a car. Hilarious, right?

Dad Billy (William Devane) is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend, and moody brother Jody (Eddie McClintock) runs the family restaurant. Each family member has gotten so wrapped up in their own lives, that coming together in crisis inevitably creates a few sparks. Memories of past tragedies also linger.

The show plans to explore Mitch's sexual orientation--and his family's reaction to it--in future episodes. But in a recent interview with the Associated Press, Savage insisted that it won't be the Crumb 's central focus.

“That's not what the show is about, Savage said. “The show is really about family and secrets that families keep from each other, and how a family pulls itself back together after keeping so much from each other for so long.”

To his credit, Savage is why much of Crumbs works. He's an affecting, subtle actor, often expressing several things at once via a heartfelt look or a hesitation in his voice. His reactions to this strange but familiar world are genuine and sincere. He's simply trying to make sense of it all.

Whatever the case, ABC deserves credit for striving to showcase diverse portrayals of not only gay people in general, but the situations they often find themselves in with friends and family. Now, all they have to do is get people to watch.

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