‘Modern Men,’ 9:30 p.m. The WB

It’s fire-sale time at The WB. With next fall’s advent of The CW, each new series is competing not only against every other show on the WB, but also each one on UPN as well.

This means that the snowball’s chance in hell that new programs normally get just got smaller.

“Modern Men” has been in the hopper for a while, as it was originally announced as a midseason replacement last May. “Midseason replacement” is TV shorthand for “not good enough to make our fall schedule, but it’s there if we get desperate.” This being the humor-impaired WB, it’s finally making it on the air.

That being said, “Modern Men” stacks up pretty well against some of the reputed comedies on the networks. Granted, it has to clear a lowered bar, but that’s the situation in TV comedy today. If you doubt that, check out every sitcom on ABC, every other one on The WB, and any nonanimated sitcom on Fox.

The premise of “Modern Men” is simple: Three men unsuccessful in relationships get guidance from a woman.

The three men are Kyle (Max Greenfield), an unhappy womanizer who refers to himself as “the town whore”; insecure Doug (Eric Lively), who has just gotten the heave-ho from his one true love; and Tim (Josh Braaten), the most stable of the trio who is just unlucky in love.

Advising these three stooges is female “life coach” Dr. Victoria Stangel, played by Jane Seymour (think “Dr. Quinn, Therapy Woman”).

Seymour is the standout in this cast. The former mini-series queen continues to show off her flair for comedy, following up on her scene-stealing role in last summer’s “Wedding Crashers.” Besides, even the lamest humor sounds funnier in a clipped British accent. Just ask John Cleese.

Will “Modern Men” be a keeper for The CW? Well, with so many quality dramas on the two netlets, the urban comedies on UPN seem the most likely to survive this fall. The most that can be said for “Modern Men” is that it’s the best sitcom on Friday night.