Critic Reviews

This show, which reunites the undeniably charming Bilson with The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, is a goodie that mixes heartstring-tugging moments with lines like this: "There it is. Rock bottom. I just played 'Dixie' with my butt."

There are no twins, reality stars, or vampires, er, witches, but you're not alone in thinking that's the most preposterous concept of all. Surprisingly, cast and crew succeed in making the sugary sweet illogic palatable, if not a gourmet delight.

It's a good cast, and Porter in particular works very well with Bilson. The show just needs to find a way to transcend both formula and Southern stereotypes.

It goes down pretty easy if you'd like to set down for a spell with a disarmingly pleasant little down-home melodrama.

The setup sometimes feels as airy as an Alabama breeze, but most of us will like the characters, and that provides some grits, er, grit, as well as a decent set of legs.

There are parts of Hart of Dixie that need addressing. The pace lags at certain points. And some of the characters, sometimes even Bilson, are more like caricatures.

The show is cozy, predictable, comfortable and, like a good ole' huntin' dog, not in need of serious housebreaking.

Hart of Dixie is a stack of familiar scenarios stitched together to form a pretty if not terribly substantial quilt, of the sort Zoe encounters in Bluebell.

I did catch enough of "Hart of Dixie" to tell it's formula absurdity for the "princess" demographic of magical thinkers who now imagine being lifesaving doctors as well as rescued royals.

Perhaps with more attention to concrete character details and less reliance on silly stereotypes, Hart of Dixie will manage to grow into a show that does not provoke multiple fits of eye rolling.