“Drop Dead Diva,” Lifetime’s new dramedy, is really a kind of wish fulfillment.
There has come a time when the average person out there wishes that the pretty people could understand what it’s like to be him or her. That’s the premise behind the series, premiering at 9 p.m. Sunday.
In “Drop Dead Diva,” a shallow model wannabe (yes, perhaps that’s redundant) dies in an oddly fitting accident. While being processed for the afterlife, she forces a return to Earth, only to find herself in the body of a plus-size attorney (played by Broadway actress Brooke Elliott) who’s facing death.
For model Deb, being stuck in attorney Jane’s body is a sort of hell, with her dark power suits and ugly purse. Yet, she also has inherited Jane’s genius-level intellect. So with the help of her assistant Teri (Margaret Cho) and her guardian angel Fred (Ben Feldman), she finds ways to survive in a world quite removed from her old one.
“Drop Dead Diva” tackles the question of body image with a humorous twist, whether it’s Deb’s model friend Stacy, who is unable to grasp the concept of a nighttime snack, or Jane using Deb’s old modeling tricks to help the confidence of a shy client.
Lifetime has found another winning original program, one made to appeal to anybody who has ever had doubts about their appearance and abilities.