TV Review: Drop Dead Diva

Lifetime’s new comedic drama series Drop Dead Diva, starring Brooke Elliot premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. EST. The following are assorted reviews from TV critics and bloggers around the Internet, compiled by B&C.

“Against all odds, [it] turns out to be an odd-couple combo that results in a light, fun series - ideal fizzy entertainment for summer.
-Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The series has humor and charm beneath its facile message, in large part (no disrespect intended) to a subtle, winning performance by Ms. Elliott.”
-Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times

“Drop Dead Diva is a lot of fun to watch, with the added bonus of introducing TV audiences to Brooke Elliott, a stage actress with fabulous comic timing and enormous dramatic flexibility.”
- Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times

“A dead model’s soul migrates to a fat attorney’s body. Wow, that can offend all sorts of people if they do it right.”
-St. Petersburg Times

“What freshness exists in Sunday’s premiere is largely due to Elliott, who’s playing a character whose head(s) and heart(s) aren’t yet fully synchronized. She’s adorable.”
-Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News

“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.”
-Allison Waldman, TV Squad

“Diva begins with a simple premise: trapping an image-obsessed model inside an overweight woman’s body. It’s just that in the pilot, anyway, the epiphanies come a little too easily, and the legal triumphs predicated on knowledge of posing are a little too Legally Blonde.”
- Brian Lowry, Variety

“Berman’s script, despite a slight lean toward preachy empowerment, is surprisingly engaging. And Elliott is a find, a full-blown instant star and delight who makes you wonder where she has been hiding herself.
-Robert Bianco, USA Today