"UGLY BETTY" PRETTY GOOD

January 12, 2007

ABC's new Thursday hit "Ugly Betty" has more adorably colorful characters than perhaps any other show on TV. At first glance, all of the appropriate stereotypes seem present and accounted for in Betty's fashion-magazine world -- the bitchy fashionistas, snobby models, scheming executives and nerdy accountants. But keep watching and soon real people begin to emerge from under the stock-character shells.

It's the characters that make "Ugly Betty" worth tuning in for - starting with Betty herself, a brace-faced, fashion-challenged 22-year-old with bad bangs who snares a editorial-assistant job at trendy Mode magazine. Betty doesn't fit in at Mode, but she forms a close bond with her boss, Daniel Meade, the new editor-in-chief and black-sheep son of the mag's publisher. Neither are expected to last long at Mode, so together they set out to conquer the fashion world.

Although the setup seems simple, the show is anything but. Watch an episode of "Ugly Betty" and you'll see some storylines that can best be described as pulp noir (usually involving a mysterious masked woman or a car crash that may have been a premeditated murder attempt) along with others that would qualify as broad family comedy (Betty and her sister Hilda's never-ending feud with the feisty Italian temptress who lives next door). This strange melding of genres isn't always successful, and it doesn't help that Mode magazine itself is more a spoof of fashion magazines than a realistic doppelganger. At least, I'm hoping that no real mag would commission a post-apocalyptic Christmas layout complete with models wearing flak jackets.

But, again, it's the characters that somehow make it all work. America Ferrera plays Betty and is a fine actress to base a show around. Betty's got enough soul and charm to more than make up for all those horrible ponchos and sweaters she drapes herself in. Other favorites include Becki Newton's Amanda, a gorgeous, wafer-thin Mode assistant who only seems to eat when she gets nervous -- then she devours everything in sight. Newton brings an easy comic touch to Amanda, who started out as Betty's arch nemesis but has more recently discovered the two have more in common than one might think. There's also Ashley Jensen, who plays Maggie on the HBO comedy "Extras," doing equally good work here as a skeptical, sharp-tongued seamstress who befriends Betty.

Meanwhile, the writers do a fantastic job with Betty's 12-year-old nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato), who must be a very tricky character to bring to screen. Though never mentioned explicitly, most viewers suspect Justin is gay since the flamboyant preteen idolizes Martha Stewart, obsesses over fashion, and has a knack for home ec. The character is so well written and nicely played, however, that it's easy to overlook the boldness of putting an apparently gay 12-year-old on television.

Not every cast member hits all perfect notes. Vanessa Williams' Wilhelmina is much too shrill and over the top in her wickedness. Her cartoonishly evil laugh and arched eyebrows seem out of place even amongst "Ugly Betty"'s many absurdities. (Though I did love her recent explanation for wearing a purple ribbon to a fundraiser for breast cancer research. "I thought breast cancer was pink?" asked her assistant Marc. "It is," Wihelmina replied, "but Alzheimer's went better with the outfit.")

"Ugly Betty" isn't blindingly original television. As expected, there's plenty of easy anorexia jokes to go around. (Imagine that -- in a show about fashion!) And Betty's rise from ugly-duckling outsider to respected co-worker is happening too quickly and without any real surprises. But the series is smartly edited -- love the scene wipes -- and has a vibrant dayglow look to it that perfectly matches the colorful charm of its characters. Nope, nothing ugly about "Ugly Betty" at all.