Review for Drop Dead Diva Season One

When American dramas are created with women as the target they seem to go along two paths. They are either women complaining about their lives, no matter how big their house is or how rich they are (Yes I'm looking at you Desperate Housewives) or it is about finding your own way no matter how poor, ugly or how much low self esteem you have (Ugly Betty is the best example). Drop Dead Diva is almost a mix of the two and I'm not sure whether it is a good thing or not.
The plot is a little odd to say the least, suited more to a science fiction than a comedy/drama. When Deb (Brooke D'Orsay), a shallow gorgeous model dies in a sudden accident, she finds her soul has resurfaced in the body of Jane (Brooke Elliott), a smart, plus-sized attorney. Now much like Quantum Leap, Jane/Deb is helped by an angel of sorts who doesn't seem to have any powers or offer any guidance like Al, but does offer friendship and encouragement which is nice. The mix of the two lives and Deb trying to live like her past life, but stuck with the social problems of being the size she is amusing and at times heartbreaking. One thing that is confusing, is trying to figure out exactly when Deb or Jane is in control within the show. One way they try and show this is basically whenever she says something smart, she touches her head in pain. This is funny the first time, but as it goes on it becomes a little too much like they are trying to establish a catchphrase or trait for the character. Being a legal drama, cases involve defending a waitress who was fired for gaining weight, pet cloning and a store that refuses to stock plus-sized clothing amongst others. Though I understand why they are doing this, after years of Ally Macbeal, The Practice and Boston Legal, these are not exactly cases that we haven't seen before. However, the show is enjoyable enough and Brooke Elliott as Jane/Deb is phenomenal in her role. In fact, the thing that pulls this show out of the 'just like any chick show' is the fact that the cast is so good from top to bottom and even the guest stars like Rosie O'Donnell, Elliott Gould and Paula Abdul are wonderful moments within the series.
Extras include deleted scenes from many of the episodes, Dreamisodes are more or less more deleted scenes themed around Jane dreaming and seem to have no real purpose. Cho and Tell is seven short interviews with Margaret Cho about various things. Why Margaret Cho? No, I have no idea either. Rosie's Rap is a less than thirty seconds of Rosie O'Donnell rapping. Why would people want to watch this? No, I have no idea either. Thankfully the short thirteen minute behind the scenes documentary was very concise in the creation, casting and purpose of the show, which is a nice thing to have.
Drop Dead Diva is a nice show to fill the void of Ugly Betty. However, unlike that show, the whole concept of the soul of a model inside the body of a plus-sized woman may not be able to sustain the interest or originality that it has over these first twelve episodes into the next season. That being said, if you are missing Ally Mcbeal or Boston Legal, you could do worse than give this show a try.