The most famous Rachel on TV today isn't the same one that made Jennifer Aniston a star. And it's Rachael with the extra "E" that's the syndicated star of a talk show that won the Emmy in 2008. But the newest Rachel on the air is MSNBC's plucky new host of her own show, Rachel Maddow. Like Aniston, Rachel Maddow's hairdoo is fashionable, and like Ray, Maddow's very personable. However, The Rachel Maddow Show is worlds apart from Friends or 30 Minute Meals/The Rachael Ray Show. Maddow is all about politics, current events and things that, by and large, are important.

In some ways, The Rachel Maddow Show is a spinoff of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Maddow has been a regular sub for Olbermann, proving her prowess to MSNBC, and her show has a cushy spot between the first run of Countdown at 8 p.m. ET and the replay at 10 p.m. For the premiere episode, in fact, Keith appeared as Rachel's first guest -- a crossover from the end of Countdown where Rachel was interviewed in the last segment before the close. This was a smart move, sort of like a bridge from his show to hers, a bridge to somewhere if you will.

The new studio for Maddow has the quality MSNBC look, glass top desk, plasma screens, obnoxious -- but expected -- graphics on the bottom and bugs and flags reinforcing information as it's spoken.

Good luck finding a cable news channel sans all that mishegoss! Still, for Maddow, the splashes of color are soft blues and reds on a white backdrop with black frames, making it look almost like pop art, and it's pretty warm and friendly, on the subliminal level. After all the overt patriotism of the convention colors, I was relieved to see water colors instead of primary colors.

Like most news/information shows, TRMS is set up in a magazine format with features. "Talk Me Down" follows the opening top of the news segment, and it's Rachel's commentary/blog/editorial about a specific topic of note to her. It's her show, so she gets to choose. She does her spiel, then invites a guest to "talk her down." The blurring of the line between church and state was her debut issue, and I especially liked this line in her set-up. "Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, church and state are two great things that actually, really don't go great together."

Another feature is called "Mind Over Chatter" where Maddow goes inside an issue, dissecting it with an expert. In both these features, I was happy to see the talking heads invited on Maddow's show were not the same old faces that have been overexposed on the cable news shows. Fresh faces are a good way to go for Maddow.

Introducing MSNBC in-house Republican strategist and one-time presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "my fake uncle," Maddow engaged in a frisky "Point/Counterpoint" (remember from Saturday Night Live, "Jane, you ignorant slut") encounter. I don't know if this will be a regular bit with Buchanan, but the idea of Rachel one on one in a debate works. She's tough enough to go toe-to-toe without winding up in a shouting match.

The one feature that laid an egg was "Just Enough," a pop culture bit with Kent Jones. Eh ... needs work. Not nearly as funny as it probably looked to be on paper.

So, what's my verdict (which is the name of the show she's replacing)? Thumbs up (don't sue me, Roger Ebert!). Rachel Maddow is very smart -- a Rhodes scholar -- and you can hear that in her interviewing style. She packs a question with information, rarely sputtering or laughing at herself like Chris Matthews, for instance. She's got a high likability factor, probably a high Q rating, because I enjoy watching her and I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way.

Yes, the format is heavy on politics, not surprisingly, and Maddow is a left-leaning. However, that didn't stop her from taking shots at the Democrats in Congress, so perhaps she'll be an equal-opportunity critic when necessary.

One final point of interest -- Olbermann referred to Sarah Palin as a "Liza Minnelli in A Star Is Born." Umm, no, K.O. It was Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born.