Who said the traditional sitcom was dead (besides us, earlier this week)? USA Network just green-lit a project that combines the hilarity of a hospital drama with the comedy-ripe goldmine of the Iraq War:

Operating Instructions revolves around a female trauma surgeon back from two Iraq tours to become head of surgery at some podunk hospital in America: "She finds that she is leaving one combat zone and entering another as she tries to navigate the stateside healthcare system and the bureaucracy that comes with it, all while juggling an unexpected romantic encounter."

Before you make any snark judgments (like the fact that the script was written by the guys who brought you According to Jim and 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teen-Age Daughter) remember what wartime comedies did for the likes of M.A.S.H. and Hogan's Heroes.

But somehow there just isn't the same sort of hilarity in the Iraq War as there was in Vietnam. Or maybe there is? Is war funny? Is war funny only after a few years have passed since its end?

It would be sort of amazing if this show turned out well, but looking at Judd Pillot's and John Peaslee's writing credits — they also did Just Shoot Me, which they should've reused for the title of their new program — this will probably be an epic fail.

Much like American occupation in Iraq. Zing?