Comedy has been in the doldrums on TV in recent years, both on broadcast networks and cable. For every "Scrubs," there's a "Hope & Faith." For every "Entourage," there's a "Fat Actress."

Two edgy comedies debut tonight, but they won't be hits with everyone, and the morality police are sure to be out in full force.

'STARVED'

The first of FX's two new comedies, "Starved" (10 tonight) is not just a dark comedy, it's pitch black. A group of friends with eating disorders attend a lack-of-support group called Belt Tighteners, where they're verbally and physically abused. ("It's not OK," is their mantra.)

"If you were a dog, I'd kick you in the face," the group leader barks.

Sam (Eric Schaeffer) is neurotic and commitment-phobic, a recovering anorexic and compulsive over-eater. Bisexual Billie (Laura Benanti) is anorexic/bulimic. NYPD cop Adam (Sterling K. Brown) binges and purges while abusing his authority. Writer Dan (Del Pentecost) is overweight and in an unhappy marriage.

The show is filled with allusions to sex in one way or another. Sam receives oral sex (not seen, but strongly implied). The guys weigh their penises on a food scale while in a diner in the premiere. In an upcoming episode, Sam damages his genitals while shaving them. In another episode, Sam's colonic goes bad in slow motion.

Profanity is also common in "Starved," which, in spite of its outrageousness, does tackle the serious subject of body image in modern America. And in an odd way, although its path to the topic is going to offend some (maybe many), the conversations and situations are entirely believable and realistic, not for all viewers, but certainly for some.

I found the show hilarious, although I do worry that with such a narrow focus, "Starved" could become one-note pretty fast.

'IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA'

A second single-camera comedy, FX's "Always Sunny" (10:30 tonight) follows the ridiculous, and somewhat predictable, misadventures of four twentysomething friends who run a bar. The group dynamics are very "Seinfeld," with each character looking out only for himself or herself. They also get themselves into scrapes that viewers will see coming a mile away.

In tonight's premiere, Mac (Rob McElhenney) insults Dee's (Kaitlin Olson) new friend, who is African-American, and the whole gang gets uncomfortable about the question of race. Charlie (Charlie Day) quotes the new guy using the N-word, but it's overheard by the waitress he has a crush on, who thinks he's racist. Racism gives way to another modern social issue that most viewers will see well in advance.

In future episodes, there are misunderstandings about paternity and underage drinking when the gang reconnects with their inner teens.

"Wait, I've never statutory raped someone before," Dee tells the high schooler she's dating.

"OK, we'll take it slow," he says.

"Where were you when I was in high school?" she asks.

"I was 8," the boy replies.

"Always Sunny" is less outrageous than "Starved" and more formulaic, but the premise is free-form enough that I can see it standing the test of time better than the comedy that precedes it.

'SLINGS & ARROWS'

This one-hour Canadian dramedy isn't shocking or extreme, but it is slyly funny as it tells stories about actors working at a Shakespearean theater company. The characters are immediately familiar: the aging diva (Martha Burns), the ingenue (Rachel McAdams, "Wedding Crashers") and the artistic visionary (Paul Gross, "Due South"). But they gain depth in future episodes.

"Slings & Arrows" (8 p.m. Sunday, Sundance Channel) begins with the theater's artistic director, Oliver (Stephen Ouimette), staging a lifeless production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." ("Your shows are comfortable," says a newspaper theater critic at the premiere's after-party, "like an old boot.")

The theater's general manager (Mark McKinney, "Kids in the Hall") warily woos a duplicitous corporate executive (Jennifer Irwin) who's considering a greater sponsorship of the theater. (In Episode Two she reveals, "I was on the board of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.")

Visionary Geoffrey Tennant (Gross) once worked with Oliver until a huge flap seven years ago sent them in separate directions. As the series begins, Tennant is working for a theater that can't pay its rent, and he's lured back to the New Burbage Theatre Festival.

Tonally, "Slings & Arrows" brings to mind a show like "Northern Exposure" or England's "Ballykissangel"; it's not too quirky, but it is a droll, character-driven hour.

'THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR'

Looking to ogle some Playboy Playmates? That's the only reason to watch this reality show on E!. "The Girls Next Door" (10 p.m. Sunday) follows 79-year-old Hugh Hefner and his three girlfriends, including No. 1 girlfriend Holly Madison and two others (Bridget and Kendra).

In the premiere, Holly describes Bridget as one of her best friends in one breath and then later says, "I know I'm his No. 1 girl, but I think he needs to get rid of the other girls."

But let's face it, what people really want to know is how this foursome works behind closed doors. All that's said about that in Sunday's episode is Holly's declaration that "we do everything a normal boyfriend and girlfriend would do."

Even at a press conference last month, Hefner refused to discuss the sexual mechanics of his relationship with the three women. If you're not too shy to do a show about a guy and his harem, you've got to cough up some details.