Vision: Where's the Raunch?

When Jimmy the Sports Guy at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles requested a boxing trainer so that he could more effectively accept the physical challenge of one of his angry listeners, an unknown San Fernando Valley carpenter/boxing coach went to work. Viciously desiring to meet the radio personality, the wood man eventually snuck into the station disguised as a delivery boy. Once inside the Sports Guy's lair, the man bumped into his target and the two became instant friends. Despite the sports analyst's loss in the fight, the trainer soon became Mr. Birchum, Woodshop Teacher on the radio show, and Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corolla would become linked forever.

Years later, the two eventually rekindled the joy that once only graced the Los Angeles airwaves on Comedy Central's The Man Show. But, in a world of side projects, Kimmel has taken on another venture - his very own late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, on ABC.

Though Kimmel still manages to be funny without Corolla, some of Kimmel's best work was lost when he went solo: JKL is basically The Man Show-lite. The talk show started off strong when Warren Sapp appeared on the post-Super Bowl premier show. It even retained some of that cable TV vibe by offering an open bar to the studio audience. But, in a move indicative of the restraints Kimmel will face on a network, after a drunken audience member vomited on a Disney-ABC executive, the open bar idea was yanked. With this the show has started a slow, steady demise.

JKL's problem is that it isn't based enough on a successful model for a specific market, one that has attracted a core audience by entertaining with things not typically associated with "The Wonderful Word of Disney." From his start on KROQ, Kimmel has been an expert at one thing: potty humor. Though he proved himself as a marketable commodity to a larger audience on Win Ben Stein's Money, he is at his best when he is in the gutter.

That's why The Man Show is so great. Girls jumping on trampolines and old men chugging beer are keys to Kimmelian success and are significantly different than the more family-oriented brand of humor provided by the likes of JKL competitors Leno and Letterman.

If JKL is to succeed, it will be at the cost of the humor that Kimmel does best. Once again, a corporate media giant has taken hold of a great American staple - in this case, first-class raunch - watered it down, cleaned it up, added a twist and tried selling it to the masses.

When I was younger, one of my friends said Disney movies gave him nightmares. Now I understand why.

• Yoav Lurie