"Drop Dead Diva" is the new "Ugly Betty"

I never thought I'd see the day when Lifetime would become a regular part of my TV rotation. Sure I've checked out the movies on a lazy weekend.

But now with the channel getting "Project Runway" and after watching "Drop Dead Diva," I think I'm all the way in.

Premiering Sunday at 9 p.m., "Drop Dead Diva" begins with Deb (Brooke D'Orsay) and Jane (Brooke Elliott). Deb is a model, sweet enough to be beloved by a lawyer boyfriend, but so shallow that when she gets to the pearly gates, there is no log of either good deeds or bad deeds. She's declared a 'self-centered' zero.

Jane is a lawyer whose intelligent is as abundant as her weight. But she's also bland and insecure.

Both women are killed on the same day; Deb doesn't accept her fate and makes a move that puts her into Jane's body, with all of Deb's memories in tact. Yes, it's a bit like "Heaven Can Wait."

The switch sets up a tale about body image, brains and beauty and female relationships.

The great thing is that is does all that in a thoroughly entertaining way. Elliott is magically engaging as Deb/Jane; you can almost see this other spirit enter her body and enliven her. She fully conveys transformation while also fully communicating what it would be like to inhabit a strange new body. THe superficial elements are still there, but so is Deb's joy. The great thing is she's really a plus-size woman so there won't be some cheap quickie transformation.

Margaret Cho (who is now pretty darn skinny) plays Jane's assistant and Kate Levering plays Kim, her nemesis. There's a lot of promise in both relationships.

I can't wait to see where this all goes. Upcoming guests include Rosie O'Donnell, Tim Gunn, Raleigh's own Sharon Lawrence, Jorja Fox and Kathy Najimy.

If you're over "Ugly Betty" (or even if you still like it), you've got a new show.