TVSquad

(S01E13) Drop Dead Diva has lived up to the pilot/premiere, and in some ways, exceeded it. The Deb/Jane dichotomy has morphed into someone different than either pure Deb or pure Jane. Brooke Elliott is wonderful as "New Jane" with just a hint of Deb. As season one comes to a close, even if the writers hadn't left us with a cliffhanger ending, I'd be more than anxious to tune in next year.

There were two interesting cases on the docket for the finale, with Stacy offering lots of comic relief as second stool -- chair -- to Grayson in a lawsuit brought by a lingerie model who'd been fired because she went public with her surviving breast cancer. Jane's case was more complex, but not until after it had been won. More on both cases, and Jane's dilemma on the dating front, after the jump.

Have you wondered why American Idol's recently debenched judge Paula Abdul has yet to land somewhere? You know, as a TV personality, it seemed like after her tweet that she was not returning to the show, she was hit with an avalanche of offers... and then nothing. No dancing show. No talk show. Just rumors. Okay, there was the VH1 Divas thing and a guest appearance on Drop Dead Diva, but nothing substantial.

Now, Ms. Abdul herself has hinted that there's yet a new possibility for her. She again used Twitter which is cheaper than a publicist. Paula sort of attached herself to The X Factor. The British musical competition show is coming to America next year if Simon Cowell can work out the deal. Paula may be part of that package. Paula tweeted: "Hey guys, I'm having a great time in London. Going to watch x factor rehearsals now. So excited! Almost the weekend!!!! Xoxo"

• TBS has Baseball Playoffs all night.
• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Colts vs. the Titans.
• FOX has a new Brothers at 7.
• At 7:30, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos (30 minutes), followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• At 8, FOX has a new episode of The Simpsons, then new episodes of The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, followed by new episodes of Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9, then a new Bored To Death.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, then a new Californication.
• Lifetime has the season finale of Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by the season finale of Army Wives.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then a new Amazing Race, the series premiere of Three Rivers, and a new Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Chargers vs. the Steelers.
• At 8, FOX has a new episode of The Simpsons, then new episodes of The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9, then a new Bored To Death.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 8, followed by a new Army Wives.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, then a new Californication.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Raging Planet at 9.
  
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• At 10:30, HBO has the season finale of Entourage.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• TV Land has an Andy Griffith Show marathon all night.
• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then the Emmy Awards.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Giants/Cowboys game.
• At 8, Great American Country has a new Soundstage.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• HBO has the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9, then the series premiere of Bored To Death.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• History Channel has a new Pawn Stars at 10.
• At 10:30, HBO has a new Entourage.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then a new Big Brother and the two-hour season finale of There Goes The Neighborhood (Note: CBS' schedule might be changed due to U.S. Open tennis).
  
• NBC has Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Bears vs. the Packers.
• At 8, FOX has the series finale (two episodes) of King of the Hill.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new Shark Tank, then a new Defying Gravity.
• PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery! at 9.
• ESPN2 has the U.S. Open Women's Final at 9.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• MTV has the 2009 Video Music Awards at 9.
• There's a new Total Drama Action on Cartoon Network at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has the season finale of True Blood, then the season finale of Hung and a new Entourage.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

See, this is a reason why cable is becoming the best place to watch TV. Lifetime has picked up Drop Dead Diva for a second season. The show is a real chick-flick kind of comedy/drama that has done well in the ratings ... for Lifetime.

The 2.6-3 million viewers would mean a cancellation on the networks – think Pushing Daisies – but on Lifetime, the charm and whimsy of Drop Dead Diva, the appeal to the female demographic, and the pairing with Army Wives on Sunday nights spells success.

• TCM has Elvis Presley movie all night.
• At 7, CBS has a new Michael Vick interview on 60 Minutes.
• NBC has two new episodes of Merlin at 7.
  
• The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
• Retro TV has Airwolf at 7, followed by the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and two episodes of the original Mike Hammer.
• At 8, ABC has a new Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then new episodes of Shark Tank and Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8, followed by a new There Goes The Neighborhood.
• There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8.
• ESPN2 has Little League Baseball at 8.
• Also at 8: Disney has a new Sonny with a Chance, followed by a new Jonas.
• At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, then a new Army Wives.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Pawn Stars.
• At 10, AMC has the season premiere of Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by Pre-Season Football, Bills vs. Titans.
  
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, ABC has the premiere of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then the series premiere of Shark Tank and a new Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8, then the series premiere of There Goes The Neighborhood.
• Retro TV has two episodes of the original Mike Hammer at 8, then The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
• ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, followed by a new Army Wives.
• USA has the season finale of Law and Order: CI at 9, then the season finale of In Plain Sight.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels, then Animal House: The Inside Story.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• There's a new Web Soup on G4 at 9.
  
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Iron Chef America.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the Joan Rivers Roast.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• Shark Week stars on Discovery Channel today.
• Travel Channel has a Man vs. Food marathon all night.
• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the conclusion of The Storm.
• At 8, ABC has Ty's British Adventure, then the series premiere of Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, USA has a new Law and Order: CI, then a new In Plain Sight.
• Food Network has the season finale of Next Food Network Star at 9, followed by a new The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, then a new Army Wives.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
• There's a new Ice Road Truckers on History Channel at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• G4 has a new Web Soup at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
• At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
  

Check your local TV listings for more.

• Discovery has a Cronkite Remembers marathon all night.
• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the miniseries The Storm.
• The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• TCM has High Noon at 8.
  
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• There's a new Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• Also at 9: G4 has a new Web Soup.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 12:30, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• Nickelodeon has a marathon of new SpongeBob SquarePants episodes starting at 7.
• At 7, CBS has That's The Way It Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite, then a new Big Brother.
  
• The CW has a new Valentine at 7.
• At 8, NBC has a new Merlin, followed by the conclusion of Meteor.
• ABC Family has the movie Labor Pains at 8.
• Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch at 8.
• TCM has An American in Paris at 8.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• There's a new Law and Order: CI on USA at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• ESPN has the ESPY Awards at 9.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• Food Network has a new Next Food Network Star at 9, then the season premiere of Ace of Cakes.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
• Also at 9: History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers, followed by the series premiere of Pawn Stars (two episodes).
• At 10, HGTV has the season premiere of Design Star.
• At 12:15am, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
• At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, The CW has a new Valentine.
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• NBC has a new Merlin at 8, then the miniseries Meteor.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Iron Chef America.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery.
• USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, followed by a new In Plain Sight.
• Lifetime has the series premiere of Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Expedition Africa.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, followed by a new Hung and the season premiere of Entourage.
• At 1AM, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Certain shows seem to be perfect for certain television networks. That's the point of programming, no doubt, and Lifetime has done a good job filling their female-centric niche with TV movies and series like Army Wives. That said, I think there will soon be a new favorite on Lifetime and it's called Drop Dead Diva. It's chick-flick, rom-com for weekly TV viewers, and while men might enjoy the whimsical plot and attractive characters, this is a show that ladies will adore.

If you were talking high concept like a Hollywood pitchman, you could describe Drop Dead Diva as Ally McBeal for the Lane Bryant set. Or maybe it's Sara Lee meets Heaven Can Wait. However, you put it, Drop Dead Diva is a switcheroo story about a vapid, but lovable, gorgeous size 2 model who dies at the exact same time as a brilliant, generous size 16 workaholic attorney, and in one of those wonderful Hollywood comedy devices, shallow Deb's spirit winds up in good Jane's body.

FOX has ordered the script for a new comedic drama from Josh Berman, creator of previous FOX series Vanished and Killer Instinct, a story editor on Bones and a consulting producer for CSI.

The series, Drop Dead Diva, is about a gorgeous model who dies and whose soul is transplanted into the body of another female: an overweight, and therefore not as attractive, attorney.

You can probably fill in the blanks from there: everyone, including the viewers, learns that beauty comes from within, and I, much like the diva in this story, am also killed (with boredom).