Season's Hallmarks: Sitcoms, Old Names "The Cosby Show\" And \" The Golden Girls" Have Left A Mark

More situation comedies, several generations living together under the same roof and some stars who are older than usual are the most noticeable trends of the television season that begins Sept. 22.

Among the 23 new series on the commercial networks, 11 are sitcoms. Give specific credit to The Cosby Show, which revived comedies after many programmers had begun to suspect that the form was worn out.

Crowded households are a conspicuous novelty, with four generations living together in ABC's The Ellen Burstyn Show and three each in ABC's Life With Lucy and NBC's Our House. On the fringe of this format are CBS's Together We Stand, with adopted children of three races, and CBS's Better Days, with a household composed of a grandfather and a grandson.

The geriatric derby is led by Lucille Ball, 75, of Life With Lucy; Jack Elam, 70, of NBC's Easy Street; Wilford Brimley, 65, of Our House; and Andy Griffith, 60, of NBC's Matlock. Give general credit to the merry matrons on The Golden Girls, the most popular new series last season.

Opinion among TV industry leaders is virtually unanimous that NBC (Channel 3), led by The Cosby Show, will repeat as the prime-time leader in the network Nielsen ratings. Opinion is mixed on whether CBS (Channel 10) or ABC (Channel 6) will finish second.

The quality of the rookies seems a little higher than usual. Three entries that seem particularly well-done are NBC's L.A. Law, a colorfully realistic look inside a high-powered Los Angeles law firm; CBS's Designing Women, a refreshingly adult comedy about four women who work as interior decorators in Atlanta; and NBC's Amen, starring Sherman Hemsley as the feisty deacon of a Philadelphia church.

As in most years, crime runs second only to comedy in the affections of network programmers. There are five new crime series, including Matlock, starring Griffith as an Atlanta lawyer.

The fall roster is rounded out by four new dramas, two science-fiction series (ABC's Starman and CBS's The Wizard), and one new nonfiction effort, ABC's Our World.

In some titles you can't always tell the sexes for sure. CBS's My Sister Sam is about two female siblings in San Francisco. ABC's Jack and Mike is about a wife and husband in Chicago.