'$#*! My Dad Says' Moment - Ed Gets the DMV Guy Fired... Again (VIDEO)

'$#&! My Dad Says' is starting to show some very faint signs of life in the creativity department. Granted, a lot of it still needs work: Jonathan Sadowski needs to realize that staring off into space and yelling your lines does not constitute acting, and the producers need to either cut Will Sasso and Nicole Sullivan loose or not write them as if they're starring in a completely separate show.

But the writers are starting to figure out what works, which is why we now have William Shatner's Ed hanging out at the Pancake Corral, a place he doesn't realize has changed a bit over the years. And it's why we'll likely be seeing more of Tim, the DMV guy that helped Ed pass his drivers' test in the pilot.

Maybe I'm typecasting Justin Halpern's co-collaborators on this project, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, but I'm sure their 'Will & Grace' experiences came into play when conceiving the world of the Pancake Corral, where the owner says things like "She's the sheriff!" while pointing at himself and fabulous twin waiters say "Holla!" every time someone says a phrase that could have two meanings.

But it serves as coloring that this show sorely needs.We already see that relying on the interplay between Ed and Henry isn't working just yet, and there's a need for Shatner to play off someone that can be a good foil. And the fact that it seems like they're setting up a recurring role for Tim Bagley makes me think that the producers know this, too. Which is why Ed had to get Tim fired a second time.

After finding out that Tim got fired for fudging Ed's driver's test and is now working at the Pancake Corral, Ed seems unrepentant, ordering his meal "sooner rather than later" as he does and asking Tim to unholster his syrups in the ceremonial way the waiters there do. Tim, of course, wants an apology, which Ed will never give. Ed tries to go incognito on his return visit, donning huge old-man-back-from-the-optometrist shades. But Tim sees right through it and tries to kick Ed out.

Of course, the ensuing battle when the manager comes out is where we get to hear the "She's the sheriff!" line and when Tim gets fired. But in grand sitcom fashion, Tim and Ed come to detente, we find out that the sheriff is Tim's boyfriend, and Tim ends up as Ed's housekeeper. Sometimes, a show needs to do these gyrations in order to get itself in position to be better.

If '$#*! My Dad Says' becomes a decent, long-running sitcom, episodes like this will likely be relegated to the dustbin of reruns that will seem like a distant memory to viewers when the show goes into syndication, kind of like those Urkel-light episodes of 'Family Matters.' We'll see how it goes.

'$#*! My Dad Says' airs Thursdays at 8:30PM on CBS.