Will 'Ugly Betty' live up to the buzz?

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Sep 26, 2006 | by ANDREW WINEKE TV Talk

Where does buzz come from?

NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" got critics and fans talking because TV wunderkind Aaron Sorkin was behind it. And because it was one of two fictional "Saturday Night Lives" on NBC's schedule this fall. And because it's really good.

On the other hand, ABC's "Knights of Prosperity" jumped on the buzz train before a single frame of film had been shot, based solely on its quirky working title, "Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum." The name was a "Snakes on a Plane" of the TV world.

Goldblum didn't sign on, however, so the title was changed to "Let's Rob Mick Jagger," and later to the decidedly less buzz- worthy "Knights of Prosperity."

In any case, when "Knights" finally premieres Oct. 17, people will have been talking about it for six months, regardless of whether the sitcom draws a single laugh.

Which brings us to the third big buzz of the fall season, ABC's "Ugly Betty," premiering at 7 p.m. Thursday on ABC.

"Betty" is based on the wildly popular Spanish-language Colombian telenovela "Yo Soy Betty, la Fea" ("I'm Betty, the Ugly"). Copying a foreign show is nothing new -- reality shows including "American Idol" and "Survivor" have been based on overseas originals.

And remember NBC's shortlived "Coupling," which was based on a British show of the same name, which was in turn inspired by the all- American "Friends"?

But importing a telenovela to this country feels riskier somehow. Telenovelas are soapy, short-run dramas that draw in viewers for a three-month story arc, then close up shop and let their characters live happily ever after.

British shows such as the original version of "The Office" use the same technique, albeit with less soap.

In the United States, on the other hand, the Holy Grail for networks is to find a show that can churn out episodes for years and generate windfalls in syndication for decades to come.

Whatever its story form, "Ugly Betty" offers a familiar story line: Bookish Betty Suarez unexpectedly finds herself in the back- stabbing, hothouse fashion world, where she must prove her worth to the dissolute scion of a fashion magazine (in the American version), and go through her own transformation from ugly duckling to swan.

America Ferrera of "Real Women Have Curves" takes the Betty role, donning braces, glasses and some fairly hideous outfits to disguise the fact that, even by the warped standards of TV-land, she's hardly unattractive. Eric Mabius plays her boss, Daniel Meade, trying to impress his father while bedding as many of the rail-thin beauties at the magazine as possible.

The most important role, however, may go to Vanessa Williams, who masticates scenery with abandon as Wilhelmina Slater -- sort of a cross between Miranda Priestly of "The Devil Wears Prada" and Nina Van Horn of "Just Shoot Me."

Slater, naturally, becomes the bane of Betty's existence, while Meade turns into a romantic interest once he sheds his shallow ways (and Betty's braces come off).

Anyway, that's how the Spanish story line went. If the American version is going to last past Christmas, it'll have to find ways of stretching things out and, hopefully, fleshing out the characters.

That last ingredient will be the key to the success of "Betty." As appealing an actress as Ferrera is, and as much fun as it is to watch Williams cut a swath through scenes, the characters and plot feel cardboardy in the pilot, and viewers need to get more invested in Betty's plight if the show is to become a series.

So "Betty" has the buzz; we'll just have to see what it does with it.

TED DANSON DRAWS LAUGHS

Generating less buzz, but more laughs, is another ABC sitcom, "Help Me Help You," which premieres at 8:30 p.m. today.

Ted Danson stars as a psychiatrist suffering a midlife crisis and the breakup of his marriage while trying to help an encounter group full of people with even bigger problems.

Danson should be able to do this role in his sleep after those years on "Becker," and he's charming and fully willing to laugh at himself as Dr. Bill Hoffman, who is often the butt of the show's jokes.

It's not all Ted, though. The supporting players in the support group get equal time. There's a suicidal office worker (Charlie Finn), a tactless tycoon (Suzy Nakamura), an angry lawyer (Jere Burns), a metrosexual in denial (Jim Rash) and a clingy head case (Darlene Hunt).

"Help Me Help You" offers nothing new under the sitcom sun, but it comes through with some laughs and a likable cast.

For the latest TV news, go to springstvtalk.blogspot.com. To contact Gazette TV writer Andy Wineke, call 636-0275 or e-mail andy.wineke@gazette.com.