HIT-AND-MISS HUMOR FROM FX.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

LARRY DAVID should probably receive some royalties from the sitcoms debuting tonight on FX - ``Starved'' and ``It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.''

David, of course, is TV comedy's reigning self-absorbed misanthrope on ``Curb Your Enthusiasm,'' a man who blithers blithely into all manner of bad behavior only to take umbrage when someone else takes umbrage.

Characters in FX's new comedies willfully attempt to out-offend David - no mean feat - with behavior that can extend, for good and ill, beyond the pale. David, of course, also co-created ``Seinfeld,'' whose characters' greedy self-interest appears positively quaint by today's standards. It's probably no accident that the lead-character templates for both ``Starved'' and ``Sunny'' - three guys, one a shlubby loser (comparatively speaking), and one very neurotic woman - come from ``Seinfeld,'' as well.

``Starved'' kicks off the comedy bloc tonight with its four heroes attending an eating-disorders group its shrewish matron calls, with dour pride, ``a community of accountability and shame.'' When Sam (series creator Eric Schaeffer) admits to having rescued a processed chocolate cake from the garbage to gorge upon it, she responds, ``If you were a dog, I'd kick you in the face.''

And he's hardly the worst in his group. Adam (Sterling K. Brown) is a bulimic cop who steals food from bicycling delivery guys, then purges his ill-gotten gain on a homeless guy. These guys are such losers, they sit around watching arena football.

A family of eating-disorder sufferers is a nervy milieu for black comedy. But Schaeffer, whose indie films have been self-indulgent wish-fulfillments - he usually casts himself as the perfect if awfully seedy guy for some beauty - comes across as a grimier, less charming version of the self-loathing, megalomaniacal characters Albert Brooks or Garry Shandling play.

Schaeffer doesn't seem to realize that Sam, a controlling womanizer, is a neurotic sociopath with no inner censors or redeeming features who somehow thinks his inability to say no to cake is his biggest problem.

``It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' features another group of very politically incorrect pals, yet doesn't seem so strident, probably because it's clear that everyone here is so stupid they can't help but be harmless.

Series creator Rob McElhenney stars as Mac, who owns a struggling bar with buddies Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Charlie (Charlie Day); Kaitlin Olson, who has a recurring role on ``Curb Your Enthusiasm,'' plays their pal Dee and the bar's waitress.

This quartet's behavior ranges from dubious to amoral to unthinkable. Tonight, Dee's friend helps the bar become a hot spot by introducing it to a gay clientele, which the guys are happy to exploit until a line must be drawn. Next week, the guys troll for dates at an abortion rally; their pro-choice stance refers only to choosing the most available woman rendered pliant by their pseudo-concern (whichever side of the debate she might be on).

``It's Always Sunny'' is sunny in its pitch-blackness and, like ``Starved,'' an effort to shake up the moribund sitcom. Though these won't likely pay off as handsomely as the network's dramas, FX continues to take chances no other network does.

David Kronke, [phone]

david.kronke(at)dailynews.com

STARVED - Two stars

What: Pals with eating disorders behave horribly.

Where: FX.

When: 10 tonight.

In a nutshell: A milieu ripe for dark comedy, but creator/star Eric Schaeffer has more confidence in his ability to make loathsomeness likable than viewers might.

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA - Three stars

What: Pals running an Irish bar behave horribly.

Where: FX.

When: 10:30 tonight.

In a nutshell: Gleefully idiotic incidents and even more idiotic justifications for said behavior. Amusing enough if you're not appalled.