The Odd Couple Thursdays, 8:30 p.m., CBS.

Matthew Perry is looking for the third time to be the charm in his attempted return to sitcoms. After the failures of Mr. Sunshine and Go On, the former Friends star has retreated to the old-fashioned multi-camera format and revived a classic concept with The Odd Couple, based on the 1965 Neil Simon play and subsequent 1970s sitcom. The setup remains the same, with divorced longtime pals Oscar Madison (Perry), a boorish slob, and Felix Unger (Thomas Lennon), an uptight neat freak, deciding to room together. Although the first episode adds a bit of raunchiness to the humor, it’s full of creaky jokes and predictable situations, goosed by raucous, unwarranted studio-audience laughter. Perry plays a familiar womanizing cynic (Oscar even has the same occupation, sports radio host, as Perry’s Go On character), and Lennon tones down his weirdness. The result is tiresome and forgettable, which makes it perfect filler for CBS’ Thursday-night lineup of popular but moronic sitcoms.