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Review: Lifetime's 'Drop Dead Diva'
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Jackson Hurst and Brooke Elliott star in Drop Dead Diva. Photo: Lifetime
Drop Dead Diva is one of the most refreshing shows on television (if you haven't been watching you can catch up with full Drop Dead Diva episodes online) and perhaps the cutest. It tells the story of the superficial Deb, who dies in a car crash while putting on lipstick. Up in heaven, unable to accept her death, she presses the return button and finds herself in the body of Jane, an overweight attorney, whose persona she must now take over. She has her own memories, but with the intelligence and brains of Jane.
Deb, now Jane, played brilliantly by Brooke Elliott takes on cases Legally Blonde style, to make up for lack of good deeds in the past (a zero as her guardian angel puts it), as she learns to appreciate her newly plus-sized build. In one episode, Jane defends a woman who was fired from her job as a cocktail waitress because she gained weight. In another episode, Jane sues a woman for her publicized diet plan that starves young girls. Each case makes you think, while also making you laugh.
What makes Drop Dead Diva so refreshing and unique is that it breaks barriers while entertaining the socks off you. The show has an agenda and a message. It's set out to make a statement about what is, and what should be acceptable in today's society. In a world where image is everything and eating disorders are on the rise, it is uplifting to watch a show which questions our priorities and how we came to be this obsessed with being thin.
The writing is clever, each episode memorable, and most importantly, the cast is diverse and full of charm. They are new, fresh, and likeable. Brooke Elliott as the newly reformed combination of Deb and Jane is adorable. She's beautiful, talented and has the chops to pull off the leading role with confidence and skill. The supporting cast is just as remarkable. There's the beautiful best friend Stacy (April Bowlby), Jane's quirky Guardian Angel Fred (Ben Feldman) who finds himself falling for Stacy, the hilarious assistant Teri (Margaret Cho) who gets all of the best lines, the witchy yet sympathetic lawyer and nemesis to Jane (Kate Levering), and the boss who tries to fire everyone every week, Parker (Josh Stamberg).
Perhaps one of the more intriguing twists in the story is the character of Grayson (Jackson Hurst, eerily reminiscent of a young Dermot Mulroney), who plays a new lawyer at the firm. He is handsome, smart, kind and a believable love interest for Jane. But there's a twist; he also happens to be her former fiance before she died, and he has no idea who she is. So, she has to try and find a way to get her former fiance to fall in love with her again, without him knowing the actual truth. The relationship, banter and natural chemistry between the two make you look forward to each and every one of their scenes together. They are a TV relationship everyone can root for.
On top of the cast, there are memorable guest appearances such as Rosie O'Donnell, Kathy Najimy, Paula Abdul, Liza Minelli, Nia Vardalos and Delta Burke. The show never has a dull moment.
Overall, what makes Drop Dead Diva so appealing is that it isn't overly preachy. All of the thin girls aren't villainous. In fact, Jane's best friend from her previous life, Stacy, is a model trying to become an actress, but she's loveable, sweet and has a good heart. The show doesn't tell you being skinny is bad, rather the show gives the message that there is nothing wrong with diversity.
Drop Dead Diva airs Sundays, 9 PM ET/PT (6 PM in Tucson) on Lifetime and has already been renewed for a second season. The season finale airs October 11.
For more info go to Drop Dead Diva's Official Lifetime Website.
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