I have seen this show, now for a second time and seriously, the last 1.5 season and episodes are a far, far stretch of reality. No one that I know would graciously grant my best friend the sperm of my ex-fiancé, the acceptance of their sexual relationship and their upcoming nuptials. All of this on top of the death and return of Graysons character as a inmate on death row. I don't know if they lost writers, focus or became bored with the official direction of the show, but they lost all of their sparkle with the dream, singing and special guests that I thoroughly enjoyed, including the late Joan Rivers. Don't watch the last season as I have made the mistake of doing so which has now left a bad taste in my mouth!!
Add a Review
-
blanche-221 July 2009"Drop Dead Diva" is a new series on Lifetime. The pilot is very enjoyable, mainly because of the star, Brooke Elliot, who is fabulous. She plays a brilliant, highly successful attorney, Jayne, who pays no attention to her appearance - she's on the heavy side, and her hair is long with no style. One night, she stays late at the office, and a man, angry with one of the partners, comes in with a gun. She is killed. At the same moment of her death, a shallow, pencil thin, blonde beauty named Deb is driving to an audition to be a prize demonstrator on The Price is Right and crashes while putting on lipstick. Upset that she's dead, once in heaven, she hits a "return" button when the check-in person isn't looking. She ends up with Jayne's body, Jayne's brains, and her own memory.
I love the premise - it's been used in movies before, but usually seriously. Some of the scenes are great, including when Deb first sees herself as Jayne, Jayne trying to get into Deb's clothes - I won't spoil it for you. Since Deb has inherited Jayne's brain power, she's thrilled that she's now smart, and certainly knows how to deal with competitive women, which Jayne did not. I love how Elliot incorporates Deb's bubbly personality beneath the person of Jayne.
Very well cast, with Margaret Cho as Jayne's assistant and Kate Levering, a talented Broadway actress, as Deb's friend Kim.
Great fun, and I'm so happy that Lifetime has been branching out from its women in jeopardy theme. -
ZoZo1325 July 2009I rarely watch Lifetime because their programs, in my opinion, always seem like the same, lame, made-for-women schmaltz. But I have to state that "Drop Dead Diva" was so very good! We've seen many movies with this plot: two people die at the same time but one person's soul enters the other's body and has to live that life. Brooke Elliott is delightful as the plump woman who winds up with a thin, empty-headed, self-absorbed woman's soul. I love the way she discovers her new self after a tragic accident and is quite convincing. Elliott is so cute as she enters this new world as a thin soul in a plump body. Her laugh is contagious. Her pain is convincing when in a moment of clarity she finds out how other people suffer. The producers of this show so far have not made it too preachy (don't judge people by their appearance), or too lightweight (they don't spend too much time on the thin woman's life). If this program continues to focus on "Jane" in the here and now without lots of flashbacks on the other woman...they have a hit on their hands. I love the thin friend too. She's adjusted and accepted her friend in a new form.
-
ModGoviya20 January 2019I absolutely loved this show for all the reasons others who have given high ratings did. That being said, I do have one confusion.
When Deb dies and the gatekeeper (Fred) assesses her to check whether she should go to heaven or hell, her deeds come unto a flat 0-0. Which means she has done neither good deeds or bad deeds in her life. In fact Fred even tells her that she's neither a good person, nor a bad person, just simply a shallow person. And this is the premise given in the show summary too which describes Deb as a "vapid" aspiring model.
And yet.....Grayson, an intelligent, charismatic, as well as kind man, loved Deb with all his heart and considered her his soulmate. He even goes on to berate Jane (after he got to know that she was really Deb) for even thinking that he wouldn't love her in Jane's body and says "Did you really think I was that shallow" and also says that he would have gone through fire to get Deb back because he loved her so damn much. So if he wasn't just infatuated with her looks, what did he love about Deb so deeply, if she really was a 0-0 as the Heavenly records showed? I really don't get that.
I'm inclined to think that the Heavenly records were wrong on this. One reason I have for thinking this is, in one flashback to Deb's life, we are shown how she and Grayson first met. And right before Grayson bumps into her, she points out to Stacey a girl sitting sadly in a corner by herself and tells Stacey that she's going to go and talk to her. This is a pretty kind thing to do. It's not something a completely shallow, self absorbed person would do. Such a person would not even notice another person sitting by themselves looking lonely. I really wish the show gave Deb's character more credit rather than making her out as just "vapid" and nothing more. -
BeanMak-128 July 2009What a FUN show. The plot is familiar but well worked. Brooke Elliot is delightful to watch! She captures the flirty sorority girl trapped in a plus sized body with panache. The rest of the cast is delivers interesting performances and I really want to get to know them all. It will be interesting to watch the development of her guardian angel as he figures out life on earth. The court cases are interesting to observer. I usually avoid Lifetime and its sentimental disease of the week programming, but I am seeking this show out. I hope that they will be able to sustain their great start. I am not sure if it is being picked for more episodes, but I hope this show has a long run!
-
flowerwings20 July 2009I caught the pilot of this show today without very high expectations, but it was actually really great and really amusing, with a fun soundtrack and interesting setting. Brooke Elliott is great as Deb in Jayne's body, the switch she portrayed between the characters was subtle but apparent, and she is very likable. The supporting cast are also all very strong. The writers do well in drawing the audience in, I already care about these characters after one 40 minute episode. Having told myself I am going to watch much less TV, and dropping about 50% of the shows I used to watch regularly, the fact that I plan to continue watching Drop Dead Diva shows how entertaining the pilot was. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what this show has to offer, and I hope it continues to deliver and develop into a great series.
-
Golden_Lily5 October 2009Like Tom Hanks, Brooke Elliott has "that certain something", that very few actors have. It has to do with Likability. She exudes a very pleasant charm. She makes it easy to believe that a sweet, model-aspiring airhead has inhabited a high power attorney and has access to her rapid-firing brain cells. I like it that the Jane Bingum character has a golden moral compass and yet is playful like a Sex in the City girl. Kudos to the creator and writers for creating a character that is like a real person. The Jane Bingum character reveals great sensitivity and vulnerability along with areas of great strength and fortitude. This is no "one note" character like the many that usually populate series TV shows. Drop Dead Diva is both high drama and wry comedy by virtue of its excellent writers. But, where would this show be without Brooke Elliott? It will be interesting to see what she does next. I predict a smart producer or director will cast her in a movie on the big screen very soon.
-
MattDevivre30 October 2009Even though I'm not among the typical target group of this show I like "Drop Dead Diva" season one. From my perspective this show did a lot right, starting with a more than just likable, talented cast and nicely written often touching stories.
"DDD" is a show trying to prove that there's always more than meets the eye. For example on the one hand we got Jane. She's not the type of woman who meets typical TV beauty ideals. Her body in combination with the personality of Deb - at first sight the "typical" young blonde woman - two stereotype extreme's meet. But when you learn to know her better, I'd say it's hard not to like her(especially during the second half of season one, when she's becoming emotionally more stable). Then there's Stacy. At the first glance I didn't like her. Turns out this is a truly wonderfully written character, getting funnier with every episode. In my opinion the best character of the show. I can't imagine "DDD" without her.
As for now female characters are definitely leading the show. I think that male characters could use a little more space to develop beyond their surface. Another aspect bothering me: "Drop Dead Diva" starts with this angel/heaven/return button plot. A Setup where anything seems possible. Unfortunately most of the time the show doesn't make use of these possibilities. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed many of them very very much but if it goes on like that it might risk to become like other lawyer TV-shows or remind of films like "Legally Blonde".
In short: "Drop Dead Diva" is lovely, positive and life-affirming. Good people doing the right thing, while confronting prejudices, stereotypes and other social injustices. Sometimes it reminded me of "Ally McBeal" - probably not as great and funny as Ally during it's best times, but it's doing quiet a fine job! -
breezymoon11 July 2011Between the excellent cast that seems to mesh so well together, the clever, poignant and fast-paced fun scripts, and constantly interesting subject matter, this show is ready to become Classic TV.
Jane is so cute, and such an excellent actress, Stacy is just adorably ditzy, and such a great co-star/supporting actress. She just seems so genuine, like anyone would want her as a friend, and so true to Jane.
All of the acting is superb, and how they jive with each other seems completely unscripted, and real.
Every episode catches me, so I mourn when it's over. It's the perfect mix of light and fun, with deep and thought-provoking. Please don't make us wait so long for the next season!!! Lifetime should advertise this more in other forums, and on other channels, this show could really make them money. -
audrulyte25 September 2009I simply love this new TV show and wish it would last for more than just a season or two like some other great shows I loved and that were off. Anyway, let's talk about Drop Dead Diva. Actually, my first reaction to the show, or frankly to the TITLE of the show, was kind of "What a nonsense they're putting on". Hello!? I could not have been wrong more here. Not a nonsense. Quite on the contrary. One can not only get a nice law story per episode, but also gets a share of really great performance here as well as really lovable characters. I loved and love a lot of TV shows (most of them already ended), but since my late teens I for the first time am really thrilled with the main character of the TV show, as well as I can well put myself in almost every position she's in (except, huh, for having your soul trapped in a wrong body). It's like in many TV shows and movies we only get these 'super white big smile nice body' actors and actresses which all look great and at the same time almost the same and just as unreal as Santa to any grown-up, but this time we are getting this new character which is awesome, beautiful, and at the same time just like me, you or someone next to you. And I really love that. Long live the show as there is one fan for you here already
-
SteffieB26 February 2011OK, you KNOW if Margaret Cho is involved, there will be some decent writing. As much as I like the show, Cho's is my favorite character. She fires up any scene she's in. Wait, no Fred is my favorite character. And Grayson. And Jane! Everybody's interesting, seriously, and the acting is really right on. The premise is Freaky Friday meets LA Law, but add in a guardian angel, smart chicks, models, and fresh story lines.. and hey, you've got my attention. Drop Dead Diva is unpredictable, but with the likable hooks surrounding romance, achieving partner, and beauty. You can stream it on Netflix, which is slightly addictive. So beware.
-
SnoopyStyle14 August 2015Deb is a shallow model with lawyer boyfriend Grayson Kent (Jackson Hurst). On the way to a Price is Right audition, she gets killed in a car accident. She goes to be judged by angel Fred (Ben Feldman). Fred is surprised that she has done no good deeds or bad deeds. She is so shallow that she has made no impact. Even more shocking, she pushes the return button. Her soul returns to earth into Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott) who was shoot in her office. Jane was a workaholic disheveled lawyer. Now Deb has to live in chubby Jane's body with Jane's knowledge and Deb's memories. Fred is sent to earth to watch over Deb/Jane. She tells Deb's best friend Stacy Barrett (April Bowlby). Teri Lee (Margaret Cho) is Jane's assistant. Kim Kaswell (Kate Levering) is Jane's competitive coworker and Jay Parker (Josh Stamberg) is the boss. In the third season, Deb/Jane falls for lawyer Owen French (Lex Medlin). In addition to dealing with the new body, Deb/Jane is soon joined by Grayson at the law firm.
This show starts off well with the nice mix of characters and the body image conflict. Brooke Elliott is a sassy lead and April Bowlby is loads of fun. Kate Levering is a solid villain/friend. It's a shame that Jane loses angel Fred after 3 seasons. Ben Feldman adds an endearing touch. Oddly enough, Margaret Cho is probably the least fun character in the show despite being the most obvious comedian in the group. The show lost me a little when it tried its hand in song and dance. I don't know where the idea of dancing lawyers came from. Also some of the stunt casting like the Kim Kardashian doesn't sit well with me. Despite the missteps, the likable cast keeps this a nice watch. -
margil-126 June 2014They took a good show and murdered it. I was particularly disappointed that Jane did not do the singing in the last show!!!!! The story line became so stupid it was beyond fantasy. It should have ended with the wedding and if they wanted it to end with the babies, how about showing some newborns and the cast gathered around the mom. If that put too much focus on Stacy, then have Jane hold one kid and say the things they said going into her house. They could talk about their own kids while holding the new baby. I was all a big mes. At least they found someone for Kim at the end. I kept thinking of the show when it started. It was really good. I enjoyed the singing when Jane would sing like a regular person not in a dream. Why did they stop her from singing? The first three seasons were the best.
-
muchcashflow19 October 2009I love this show! My sister is the one who turned me onto this. She was visiting and while I worked she spent a lot of time watching TV and movies. Anyway one day she kept bugging me to watch this show she DVR'd. It sounded idiotic to me, but I gave in. And I was hooked. I always set my DVR to record it now.
This show is so funny and witty. I like all the cast members, no one is overly annoying, even Kim can be OK at times. I can't wait for the next season. I hope this show stays on too, my sister also got me hooked on Kyle XY and Veronica Mars and both of those great shows were canceled. I hope this show can hang in there and get the viewers it deserves. -
BCMovieFan1 December 2018This was a fun show! I liken it to Legally Blonde meets Alley McBeal with music from Ugly Betty. Binge worthy if you like these three!
-
Cassiopea_Fay5 January 2010This show is actually quite charming. It has it's equal blend of humorous and dramatic sides, and the characters are reasonably likable.
However, the plot isn't necessarily that original. For one thing, it is quite similar to the movies of "Legally Blonde", with the story being about the once dumb blonde turning into a lawyer and ends up doing a good job, and learns new things about life.
Minus the part where the protagonist dies and enters the new body, it just feels like the same. At least for now.
Another thing, is no doubt the noticeable division between two types of women, with "unattractive but smart and caring" and "Attractive but vain and self centered" - or to stretch it out into another category, the blonde is dumb but the brunette is intelligent. Do we honestly have to use hair colour again to imply how a person really is? I'm not entirely fond of this blend. Especially if one desires to notice also that all the men in this show are both equally handsome AND smart. Why is this sort of division only apply to women? And very specific? That being said however, I will admit once more that the show is quite pleasant. It is the first pilot after all, so hopefully it will develop some more and broaden the horizons, and certain characters get more character development.
At least with shows like "Ugly Betty" (Which I love) every character equally goes through development, despite their assigned roles. Regardless of their appearances, status in the fashion industry and intelligence, all had made mistakes, show a humane side and progressed. Let's hope this show will start doing the same, instead of basing it solely on the basic storyline. -
atrac26 August 2009When I first heard about this show, I was quite enthusiastic to see it. It sounded like it would be quite funny, in a slapstick sort of vein.
In reality, the show is more of a drama than a comedy. There are certainly comedic moments, but it's definitely a drama first and foremost. I was expecting a comedy that might have "some" drama.
Here's the thing -- it works! *Wonderfully* In fact, the show seems to get better and better each week. I think it truly reached its stride with the episode that guest starred Elliot Gould. It was wonderful (as was his performance). I even get teary eyed at the ending!
For me, the show has filled the void left by "Boston Legal" without being a total rip off of it. There are moments QUITE reminiscent of BL in fact -- minus David E. Kelly's preaching (which really went overboard as that show reached its final episodes). Still, the characters in this are much more tame, and still quite enjoyable to watch.
Brooke Elliott is a true find in the lead role. She's amazing in it. The supporting cast are also terrific. Everyone in it was cast extremely well. And that Jackson Hurst. He is also a terrific find -- a definite leading man!
I'm quite saddened to see only five other comments on this show as of this writing (well four and one legal dissection). This is a very well done show and it deserves more fans. I think, in a way, the title (which is actually very clever), is the show's downfall. It suggests a slapstick comedy, but in reality, the show is a whole lot more.
I'm thoroughly impressed. I hope it lasts. It deserves to. -
BlindMan-112 September 20121. The show is inventive and good story lines.
2. The problems that I have with it is, as Grayson is so smart and seems to be only attracted to other women who are in his same mental league, where does Deb (whom he was with) fit in here? I don't get that he would be with her unless he was that shallow that he liked just the looks and no brains female.
3. When Deb comes back as Jane, Jane is to be an not very attractive female. Many men would look at Deb and pass her by to be with Jane. Yes Jane is a full figured woman but she carries herself great, dresses well for her size and has a beautiful face.
I love the show but the one area that should have been played down was that Deb got the losing end of the deal when she came back (also by being a dumb broad and pushing the button) as Jane.
She has a great job and is respected in her field, she looks great (given the number of woman in North America are plus sized), she gets so see her mom and Grayson - alas from a far but its better than being dead.
Finally, Deb was the dumb broad that was on her cel phone and I believe she was also doing her makeup or her nails and driving at the same time. Yes its a show but given what she was, she was an accident looking for a place to happen, at least it was just her who died in the accident and not some innocent person too! -
acheerforyou24 February 2011I Beyond LOVE this show! I can't believe I missed the entire 1st season. Thank you Netflix for making it available as I would have never known about the show. It's my daily dose of laughter. Great cast and good character development. OK, I have to ask about the episode with the orange jail attire- seemed just like a Legally Blonde scenario.?? Please don't stop making more episodes, I'm addicted. Everyone is so cute...but it does seem that every show ends a little sad. Still...likin it, luvin it.
I particularly enjoy watching a character who is funny and light hearted, as well as smart and accomplished. The storyline is cute and somehow doesn't seem too unbelievable (just imaginative.) -
mericatvj10 December 2021Lets start by saying...I would have liked to get to know Deb a little bit better. Maby two more episodes to pull the heart strings. Jane plays the role very good, I fell in love with the series. All the actors are really good!
-
jmullen-410 May 2011A light-weight comedy, and quite enjoyable if somewhat formulaic. Have I seen this somewhere before? Apart from the main stars, the additional characters add some depth to the series. And it is nice to see the unexpected guest star (ref Liza Minnelli). Why the 'dumb blondes'? Why should it be expected that blondes would be dumb. I'm not! The story revolves around a model who died and came back to life in another body - a lawyer no less, and the cases she becomes involved in.
The romantic interest is different, as the boyfriend (played by Jackson Hurst) just can't let go of his dead love. Although I find it difficult to see how an intelligent lawyer such as Grayson Kent would fall for a vapid would-be model. But then I'm a woman, and who knows how men would respond.
All in all, the show is worth watching if you simply want to blob out. -
georginaalvarezp7 December 2022I really enjoy and Love the show but I don't like two things, they always win all the cases, i mean come on really? And the second thing, Stacy is the worst friend ever, is selfish and she always hook up with Jane's boyfriends. Buy Something it's true the sow is fresh and funny, absolutely love Teri.
I really enjoy and Love the show but I don't like two things, they always win all the cases, i mean come on really? And the second thing, Stacy is the worst friend ever, is selfish and she always hook up with Jane's boyfriends. But Something it's true the sow is fresh and funny, absolutely love Teri. -
dandan-dandan6 December 2013They need to bring back Jay Parker, hands down, and cut the "original Jane" character, and stop making Stacey make so insanely stupid decisions and being extremely dramatic, like suddenly going on needlessly urgent search for sperm donors to have a baby, sacrificing her relationship with Jane just to briefly hook up with Owen, then for no reason at all making a big deal and breaking up with Owen. It makes me sick to my stomach. Owen's character used to be so in love with Jane, for him to suddenly pick up Stacey and act all natural make it seem unbelievable and audience lose respect of him. You can tell the actor playing Owen (a very good actor) even has a hard time trying to make it seem justifiable! Any self-respecting actor will feel the writing is crap. What a waste of a good cast! If they are doing a sixth season and want to retain followers and attract new viewers, they NEED to do the following: 1) Their most urgent need right now is to bring Parker back and keep Kim around! These two are immensely appealing and drawing actors and characters. They bring depth and charisma to the show. 2) Secondly, make Stacey herself not a crazy friend betraying, sperm-crazy, lunatic mom! 3) last but not least, bring Jane and Grayson together already. It's painful and annoying to watch another episode where the show tries desperately to drag on the suspicion with irrational plots of surprises coming up last minute or interruptions during their confessions. It's not interesting anymore nor suspense. Just plain disturbance and people are losing interest fast. They need to move the show onto new grounds and stop spoiling a fresh idea by lazily adopting old tricks to fool the audience. These writers and producers need to get real and make a honest living, or most viewers will not return. If they follow these suggestions, I think they will find the show more successful. If they don't heed advice from the very people the show's trying to draw, they aren't very smart.
-
denis88817 May 2022Very smart and highly entertaining courtroom drama / comedy / fiction with a stellar cast and pretty amusing plot twists. Do not search for tiny mistakes in legal procedures depiction - the show is not a teaching documentary for future lawyers, after all. Clever fun and a very good pace make it very captivating. Brooke Elliott is a huge winner, with her impeccable performance and sheer brilliance in showing inner struggles and courtroom routine. To describe the rest of the cat would take the rest of the day, so just wrap up saying - highly recommended!
-
flutterbye221920 September 2018Loved this show and wish it were still going! Great storylines and characters 💗🤗