Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva has a ludicrous but slightly intriguing premise: aspiring model Deb dies in a car accident and is sent to heaven, where she accidentally gets sent back to Earth because she hits a “return” button. But she winds up in the body of Jane, a plain, zaftig lawyer (cue the scream from the show’s credits), who conveniently works at the same law firm as Deb’s fiancée Grayson. Yes, ridiculous, but this show also opened up some promising developments in the first season, as Jane/Deb had to navigate her new life in an entirely different body (in an early episode, she surveys her new brassiere and comments, “I’ve worn entire outfits with less fabric”). She now has to work as a lawyer (in another far-fetched but necessary plot element, her brain retains all of Jane’s previous legal knowledge) and she’s afraid to tell Grayson who she really is because he loved her as a beautiful blonde, but will he love her as Jane?
The show transcends all of this murky plotting due to the fortunate casting of Broadway actress Brooke Elliott as Jane. Elliott somehow steers Deb’s bubbly personality into Jane’s lawyer persona, and the result is pretty winning. Thanks to Deb’s fashion and beauty knowledge, she is soon able to transform Jane from a drudge into a beautiful, stylish woman with a higher BMI than a fashion model. Since you don’t see too many lead drama characters in her size, the best part of DDD is when Jane is exploring these avenues, such as suing a dress store for not having fashionable larger-size frocks, investigating a faulty weight-loss program, or skillfully deflecting barbs from a cruel colleague who has never invited her to lunch because “I assume you didn’t want anyone to see you eat.”
DDD soon developed into a legal procedural, with mostly light-hearted cases of the week, and kind of a soap, as Jane, in love with Grayson, had to endure his succession of post-Deb dating partners. She then developed new relationships of her own, including The Office’s David Denman, and Owen (Lex Medlin), a judge who is now a partner at her firm. Her roommate and best friend, Stacy (April Bowlby), represents the “Deb” part of her personality and is the only person who knows her true identity. Margaret Cho adds a needed snarky element as Jane’s assistant, Teri. DDD has also featured a long lineup of stunt-casted guest stars, like Rosie O’Donnell as a judge, Sharon Lawrence as Deb’s mom, Serena Williams, and even, God help us, Kim Kardashian. It’s not a show headed for anyone’s best-of lists, but it’s a pleasant, good-natured legal romp for a Sunday night. (Those looking for headier legal cases should just head straight for The Good Wife.)
The most problematic parts of the cast have been on the male side, especially the character of the guardian angel (I know), whose job is to guide Deb/Jane through her new life. The original angel Fred (Ben Feldman, who has since transcended to loftier cable pastures on Mad Men) had some appeal, as he also was trying to figure out life on Earth, and fell in love with Stacy. Since his departure, though, his followups (Carter MacIntyre as Luke and now Justin Deeley as Paul) have brought very little to the mix. They now seem like a shoehorned attempt to continue the Deb side of Jane. The other problem is the casting of Jackson Hurst of Grayson, who just does not command the kind of long-term devotion Jane seems to be set on.