Drop Dead Diva

Drop Dead Diva

Beautiful airhead Deb dies. In a twist of fate, she returns to life – 16 sizes larger and infinitely brainier – in the body of brilliant plus-size attorney Jane. Now Deb must learn how to fit the beauty queen ways with her new, upsized life in this fun, funny and touching dramedy that looks at the plus side of life.

Drop Dead Diva tells the story of a beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe, Deb, who has a fatal car accident and suddenly finds herself in front of Heaven's gatekeeper, Fred, who declares her a self-centered "zero." Outraged and indignant, Deb attempts to persuade Fred to return her to her shallow existence but is accidentally relegated to the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott). A brilliant, thoughtful and plus-size attorney with a loyal assistant (Margaret Cho), Jane has always lived in the shadow of her more comely colleagues, whereas Deb has always relied on her external beauty. Now, by a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane’s plus-size frame and learn to reconcile her beauty queen ways with her brilliant new mind.

Drop Dead Diva’s seamless blend of heart and humour has scored well in the States, where it premiered with 2.8 million viewers, the highest-rated original drama series debut across key demographics on cable network Lifetime since 2007.  Marking a dramatic leap from the prior four-week time period average, the series delivered stellar results across its key demographics – a 148% gain among women 18 to 40 and a 158% increase among women 25-54! Creator of the series Josh Berman, despite having previously dabbled in ‘darker’ shows like CSI and Vanished, has evidently nailed the recipe for Drop Dead Diva in a delightfully refreshing manner.

Not to be missed is the dream list of guest stars, from Elliot Gould, Rosie O’Donnell, Paula Abdul, Kathy Najimy, Jorja Fox, to Tim Gunn who will appear as himself. Especially ironic is Jorja Fox of CSI fame who will leap over to the other side of the law as an ex-convict and Paula Abdul who will return as a judge in the wake of her American Idol exit, but this time with a gavel in hand.

For all the light-hearted frivolity that makes Drop Dead Diva such engaging escapist fare, there is an underlying message to convey. As Jane so aptly pointed out in a closing statement for her case, “Do you notice people have euphemisms for being overweight? Large, plus-sized, full-figured…but no one, not even me, especially not me, wants to say the word fat. ” For all the clichéd farce, Drop Dead Diva is grounded in reality and might have more heart to share than any other show on TV these days.

Is fat the new fabulous? Find out in Drop Dead Diva premiering first and exclusively on Sony Entertainment Television this December!

Cast

Kim Kaswell
Kim Kaswell
Kate Levering

California native Kate Levering began her career in theater. She received a Tony® Award nomination and Outer Critics Award nomination for her work as “Peggy Sawyer” in the Broadway Show 42nd Street. The role also earned Levering a Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer. The following year, she was nominated for a second Fred Astaire Award for her work as “Therese Raquin” in Thou Shalt Not.

On television, Levering was recently seen in the recurring role of “Katherine Cutler” in the ABC series Cashmere Mafia. She also starred as “Veronica Carter” on the drama series Kevin Hill. Her additional television credits include guest-starring roles on K-Ville, Medium, Close to Home, Las Vegas, Cold Case, CSI: Miami, Out of Practice, Law & Order: SVU and Home Improvement. Levering also starred as “Jeanne Martin” in the television movie Martin and Lewis.

Levering’s most recent film, Like Dandelion Dust, stars Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper and Cole Hauser. The film is currently premiering at several US film festivals and has garnered several awards.

 

Stacy Barrett
Stacy Barrett
April Bowlby

April Bowlby studied ballet and French in college before deciding to pursue a career in acting. Within weeks of her first Hollywood audition, she landed the recurring role of “Kandi,” Alan’s ditzy girlfriend on the hit CBS comedy series Two and a Half Men.

Bowlby has also appeared on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother, CSI: NY and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Some of her additional acting credits include roles on the Fox comedy Stacked, the ABC series Freddie and television movie Sands of Oblivion.

On the big screen, Bowlby was featured in All Roads Lead Home and will soon be seen opposite Michael Clarke Duncan in The Slammin’ Salmon.

Parker
Parker
Josh Stamberg

Josh Stamberg most recently starred opposite Cynthia Nixon in the play, Distracted, at New York’s Roundabout Theater.  Stamberg also co-developed and starred in the play, Tape, with Stephen Belber and Dominic Fumusa, which had productions in New York, Los Angeles and London.

Stamberg’s film work includes Legion, Fracture, Must Love Dogs, A Lot Like Love and Drifting Elegant.

On television, Stamberg appeared as a series regular in the CBS comedy Courting Alex, and had recurring roles on Six Feet Under, Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip and Over There.  His guest-starring roles include appearances on Lie to Me, Men in Trees, Brothers and Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy, Monk and NYPD Blue.  Additional television credits include the comedies Sex and the City, Hope and Faith, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Spin City.

Stamberg lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Myndy Crist, and their daughter, Vivian.