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It’s not interesting to have NBC’s “The West Wing” pitted against ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

The networks are repeating the same schtick we’ve seen before. ABC is trying to chip away at NBC’s core audience with the enticement of a show that is full of guilty pleasure.

Most networks’ strategies don’t amaze me. However, I am fascinated by the Wednesday night lineup. Fox has placed one of its few good shows, “The Bernie Mac Show,” against ABC’s “My Wife and Kids.”

Both of these shows contain similar formulas; they are comedies about black families. With slightly different slants, they both have enough similarities that Fox thinks “The Bernie Mac Show” can not only chip away at ABC’s viewership, but take it away completely.

Shows with minority casts have always been a tough spot for TV networks to deal with since they are constantly getting criticism for the lack of them. However, when they do give them a chance, there’s usually a lukewarm, if not negative, reception (ABC’s Latino “The George Lopez Show” and Korean “All American Girl”) so they promptly get cancelled. They’re basically damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

Nevertheless, minority-cast shows continue to grow and now we have one black comedy show competing against another. The significance may seem minor but this shows that TV networks are confident enough to divide a minority audience, because they perceive it to be large and important.

TV networks are always fiddling with diversity in shows. The novelty of showing certain races (mainly Latino and Asian) on television can be bait for anyone curious as to how shows will fare. Second, there’s the instant draw of the minority who will want to support shows like that. A niche audience will attract more advertisers searching for specific markets.

In these difficult economic times, there’s an added burden on the entertainment industry to find more advertisers. That’s ignoring how cable is stealing broadcast TV’s audience.

TV networks are racking their brains thinking up different ways to get viewers, and thus the battle between Bernie Mac and Damon Wayans ensues. Instead, TV networks should focus on the merits of a show rather than its novelty if they want to sustain their audiences.

However, minority shows don’t necessarily try to be funny for everyone, which brings up question: can shows that represent the lives of minorities be universally funny?

The answer is yes. When “The Cosby Show” came out, it was a hit with everyone because it was funny to lots of people who were not black. Granted, “Cosby” has a reputation for being “whitewashed.” However, I remember talking to Korean-American Eddie Shin of “That ’80s Show,” who told me his reason for acting was Rudy, the adorable Huxtable girl, played by Keshia Pulliam. This just goes to show that you don’t have to be a certain race or culture to get someone else’s humor or its more comprehensive themes.

So overall, do I like shows with diversity? Yes, but only when they broaden their scope to universal issues.