Premise: FX's new drama Dirt stars Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, a ruthless editor in charge of two celebrity gossip rags, "Dirt" and "Now." Her successes are unrivaled but her methods have made her one of the most hated women in all of Hollywood. Spiller completely ignores the old adage of "keep your friends close but your enemies closer." She keeps everyone at a distance, only deciding to turn on her charm and offer an open ear when it may lead to the next juicy bit on a tinsel-town starlet or sports icon. To assuage her own insecurities, she's convinced herself that Hollywood needs her when the reality is quite the opposite.

My Thoughts: I went into this completely biased before I sat down and watched the first two episodes. I had every intention to hate this show and tear it apart. Especially after I read that Ausiello over at TV Guide had dubbed it "flop of the year" before 2007 has even started. All that being said and guess what? I like it.

Is this going to be the best new show on TV once the new year rolls around? Far from it. But it still garners an enthusiastic "yes" when you ask the simplest off all TV viewer questions: do I care what happens next?

Cox, who also executive produces the show along with her husband David Arquette, can be proud of one thing, that's for sure. She's shed her Friends skin and done so in the most dramatic way possible. Lucy Spiller is the anti-Monica Geller. You won't see any of the chipper attitude that Cox graced NBC audiences with week in and week out. Lucy Spiller is an über-bitch, yet still likable. Don't be surprised if you find yourself quietly cheering Spiller on as she makes those around her cringe or cry. Similar to Showtime's latest runaway hit Dexter, there are moments when Dirt tests your inner ethics meter.

Spiller isn't alone in her quest to embarrass the famous though. Always by her side is her most trusted paparazzo, Don Konkey. Played wonderfully by Ian Hart, Konkey takes pride in being the only "pap" to still use film while the rest of the world has gone digital. Beyond that, Konkey is the only character that I can see audiences having an issue with. He's schizophrenic and this plays a major role over the first two episodes, as the writers try to integrate what he's going through as part of what the audience sees. This leads to some very cool uses of CGI graphics (I won't get into details because it is fun to watch), but ultimately I'm not sure that it matters. Overall, we're left questioning whether knowing what Don goes through is essential and unless his medical condition someone ties into the over-arching story, the answer is no.

Supplementing Cox and Hart are a host of other characters played by recognizable faces. Look for strong performances from Shannyn Sossamon as a pregnant actress caught in Spiller's cross-hairs as well as Rick Fox playing a slightly twisted version of himself. Blowing them all away, though, is Josh Stewart (you'll probably remember him from Third Watch) who plays washed up actor Holt McLaren. In exchange for puff pieces talking up his non-existent career, Holt becomes Lucy's latest well of gossip.

Of course, throughout the entire show, you have to wonder what happens when Lucy becomes the topic of the next hot story. However, from what I've seen, this woman? She's cold and she's untrusting. As a result, she doesn't make mistakes. But her desire to profit from the follies of others seems to be insatiable.

Dirt premieres on FX on Tuesday, January 2 at 10.