Certain shows seem to be perfect for certain television networks. That's the point of programming, no doubt, and Lifetime has done a good job filling their female-centric niche with TV movies and series like Army Wives. That said, I think there will soon be a new favorite on Lifetime and it's called Drop Dead Diva. It's chick-flick, rom-com for weekly TV viewers, and while men might enjoy the whimsical plot and attractive characters, this is a show that ladies will adore.

If you were talking high concept like a Hollywood pitchman, you could describe Drop Dead Diva as Ally McBeal for the Lane Bryant set. Or maybe it's Sara Lee meets Heaven Can Wait. However, you put it, Drop Dead Diva is a switcheroo story about a vapid, but lovable, gorgeous size 2 model who dies at the exact same time as a brilliant, generous size 16 workaholic attorney, and in one of those wonderful Hollywood comedy devices, shallow Deb's spirit winds up in good Jane's body.

Holy vice-versa! How can Deb handle the weight of such a transformation and will Jane's innate wisdom and wit finds a voice with Deb in control?

To say that all this is quirky and cutesy is a given. But it's also quite good and a winner all around. The premise is a Hollywood staple, but when it's done right -- as it is here -- you don't care. It helps that Drop Dead Diva is smart enough not to make either Deb or Jane caricatures. Deb could easily be paper thin, especially since she's introduced as a superficial airhead. But as the pilot progresses, Deb blossoms. The same is true of Jane, the sympathetic full-figure lead. Both women are given room to grow and in the episodes to come, I expect they will.

Brooke Elliott as Jane will be the show's break out star. She gets the lion's share of the screen time and the Broadway vet has charm to spare. Brooke D'Orsay as Deb and Margaret Cho as Teri, Jane's assistant, also add a lot to the show's buoyancy. Sadly, the men are just eye candy and not much more than that. In the shows to come, there will be major guest stars of note, including Liza Minnelli, Delta Burke, Elliott Gould, Rosie O'Donnell, Sharon Lawrence, Tim Gunn et al.

In the void left on television since the demise of a classy, quirky fable like Pushing Daisies -- a show that was almost too good for TV -- Drop Dead Diva may be just what viewers are looking for, especially in these long summer months. And like Pushing Daisies, there's a feel-good quality to Drop Dead Diva that's a good change of pace from the reruns of procedurals and sitcoms, bizarre reality and summer action fare. There's even a certain Susan Boyle, root for the underdog element to the show. All good reasons to tune in.

Drop Dead Diva premieres on July 12, at 9 p.m., right before Army Wives. The double dose of estrogen will thrive on Lifetime's Sunday nights. Based on the pilot, Drop Dead Diva has me hooked and others will follow.