Chris Rock is, fair to say, not exactly universally liked. Some find him a little too confrontational, some find him too loud, some people just think he has a really annoying voice.

But, having seen Everybody Hates Chris, I have to confess he is funny.

It's an incredibly simple premise. Drawing on the experiences he had growing up in New York in the early 1980's, Chris Rock has fashioned a sitcom-cum-autobiography about his life, his family, his friends and the world at the time.

The show stars Tyler James Williams as the young version of himself who, along with a handy narration from the present day version, takes us through his life. We meet his two siblings, his parents, his school buddy (and also we meet the school bully), and of course we meet the Girl Next Door.

What saves this from being the kind of middle-of-the-road easy going US sitcom is the sarcasm and wit running through it. Chris and the bully get into a fight at school - and whilst we're shown footage of it the soundtrack is Ebony and Ivory.

It's quietly explained that every woman on the block was after Chris's Dad - but also revealed that Chris's Dad was only one of four on the whole street. The others, presumably, are either dead, missing or in jail. It's this kind of realism and grounding that helps the funnier moments work so well.

The last thing that is worth mentioning is the short running time. Including commercials, each show lasts only 30 minutes. As a result, the action really zips along without any of the padding or waffling exposition that can sink other shows. We get setup, gag, consequence in double quick time - much like a good stand up routine.

As I said, not everyone likes Chris Rock. But on the strength of this show, it would be very unfair to hate him.