Comedies are a cornerstone of television entertainment. While the earliest shows on television were heavily influenced by theater with programs like one-act plays, early variety content, and even serialized drama, it was the sitcom that really shaped the television landscape. Offering up easy laughs in sometimes absurd situations, the sitcom has been a huge part of television — and pop culture — since the 1940s and even as trends come and go, the comedy series remains eternal. But while some sitcoms are household names long after their run has ended, there are other comedy gems that seem to fly under the radar until audiences get a chance to discover them all over again. Now, one such underrated sitcom is getting that chance as it arrives on Prime Video.
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Every episode of Lifetime’s six season legal comedy drama Drop Dead Diva is coming to Prime Video on March 25th. The series had an absurd, fantasy-esque premise following Deb, a shallow, vapid model who is killed in a car accident on her way to a game show audition. However, while she’s being judged at the gates of Heaven, she manages to hit the “return” key and come back to life on Earth, but there’s a catch: Deb comes back in the body of Jane, a recently deceased lawyer who died protecting her boss. And there’s a twist: Jane is plus sized. The series sees Deb struggle to adjust to this new life and new body — and learns to be a better person in the process.
Drop Dead Diva Is an Unusual Comedy That Really Works
One the surface, Drop Dead Diva seems like a series that would be at best cliche and at worst, slightly problematic. After all, the element of the shallow and vapid skinny model being stuck in the body of a smart, plus size woman could be a little questionable if done wrong. However, Drop Dead Diva actually gets it right. While there is humor because of the body swap element of things, that humor is largely at the expense of Deb (as Jane) as she struggles to settle into this new life she has. There’s also a lot to be said for how the series portrays Jane. Jane (Brooke Elliot) is the antithesis to most Hollywood stereotypes about plus sized women and is portrayed as being confident as well as stylish and even having strong romantic interests. This offers something of a flipped view, suggesting that Jane was really the “attractive” one. It’s a positive message and one delivered well.
The show is also just very well-acted and features very well-developed characters beyond Deb/Jane. While the show’s greatest strength is easily Elliot’s ability to play both Deb and Deb as Jane distinctly and brilliantly and do it with fantastic comedic timing, she’s supported by a strong cast each portraying fully fleshed out characters. This is not a series full of caricatures or stereotypes, but instead figures that feel like real people and whose stories make you interested in them even beyond the silly fantasy reincarnated fish out of water premise. One could argue that Drop Dead Diva is only an overlooked gem of a sitcom because it aired on Lifetime rather than one of the major networks — given that Lifetime is best known for its made for television movie lineup, many audiences may have missed the series entirely when it was first airing. Fortunately, with it coming to Prime Video this month, fans will have a new chance to check it out for themselves.
What Else is Coming to Prime Video in March?
March is a great month for television on Prime Video. The streaming service is adding several major series — most of them on March 25th along with Drop Dead Diva. Coming to the platform are all 11 seasons of Married… With Children, all six seasons of Good Times, and all eight seasons of Who’s The Boss among many others. It’s also a great month for movies on Prime Video as well. The streamer added a number of great films, including Josie and the Pussycats, Rain Man, and the Shrek film series earlier in the month. You can check out a complete listing of everything coming to Prime Video in March here.
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