It’s funny, ditsy and down right addictive and I’ve only seen the first season now on DVD. ABC’s “GCB” (Good Christian Belles) has what it takes to be another Sex and the City upper class down home country style.  The characters in this weekly sitcom series are the perfect medicine for the ladies and those men who just love some great eye candy and cat fights.

The series follows Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb) who has just lost her Ponzi scheming husband to a fatal auto accident while having sex with his mistress. With the loss of her luxurious homestead and wealth to the government, Amanda takes her children back to her home where she grew up in upper class Dallas.

Totally broke she moves in with her high society mother (Anne Potts) who she has estranged since her high school graduation over her marriage to the football star jock.  Now in her 30’s Amanda must cope with the ‘girls’ she left behind, especially since she was queen of mean in their high school.

Hilarious at times, this sitcom has all the right stuff, plenty of wicked intervention with her former classmates, every guy in town rubbernecking to catch a look at the perfect doll, and a church full of busybodies that stretch the Christian bible to suit their disdain.

Charlene (Kristin Chenoweth) and Cricket (Miriam Shor) plot revenge

The stars of the show who support the fine acting of Leslie Bibb are:

• Kristin Chenoweth as Carlene Cockburn the high society maven who changed from pig ugly in High School to a remodeled beauty allowing her to catch a millionaire businessman.  Her grudge for Amanda who bullied her through school is well known and she has a hold on three other former female classmates who have become part of her social network.
• Jennifer Aspen plays Sharon Peacham another victim of Amanda’s abusive high school personality.  The former beauty queen has settled down to cooking (and eating) as many recipes as she can find and showing a larger figure than usual.  Her husband Zack has a crush on Amanda and it has added fuel to her fire.
• Successful realtor Marisol, played by Heather Cruz has been a friend of Charlene for years getting most of her leads from the wealthy socialite. Although she was the butt of many of Amanda’s jokes, time has passed and she admires the returning goddess.  Not wanting to ruffle Charlene’s feathers, however, she has to be careful when it comes to socializing with Amanda.
• Finally there’s Miriam Shor who plays Cricket the area’s top businesswoman who has the same strong grudge against Amanda and wants to take her down.  Catty and crafty she does Charlene’s bidding, but adds her own little twist of the knife whenever possible.

The situations are well directed and written with surprises at every turn.  I like the snappy comedic dialog, nicely designed upscale fashions, scathingly brilliant nasty rhetoric between the girls, solid performances by the whole cast and would like to see more in next season’s shows.

On top of all the fun there’s some very good bonus features that are great for the ladies:

• Bigger in Texas –Fans can watch the transformations the actresses go through from hair to makeup, and more. Costume designer Robert Blackman describes each of the GCB’s Dallas style with a show-and-tell that highlights each character’s unique look.
• Living Large – Stars Annie Potts and Jennifer Aspen, along with production designer Denny Dugally, take viewers along for an exclusive tour of the world of GCB, showcasing how the Texas spirit is vividly brought to the screen each week with detailed authenticity.
• Preaching to the Choir – Fans will enjoy a visit to the set and a conversation with Kristin
• Chenoweth, Miriam Shor and the rest of the cast as they sing and share insight as to why music is so important to the series.
• GCB: Most Likely To… – This piece offers fans the opportunity to get to know the cast in this irreverent collection of thoughts from the team behind the show. From “Best Dressed” to “Class Clown,” fans will see what the cast really thinks of one another.
• Audio Commentaries – Cast members Leslie Bibb, Mark Deklin and Brad Beyer join producers Bobby Harling, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts as they offer unique insight.
• Bloopers and Deleted Scenes

“GCB: The Complete First Season” has been rated TV14 for some off color language, sexual situations and adult content. It’s a definite ladies show, but I really enjoyed the cat fights, characters and paybacks.

FINAL ANALYSIS: It’s fun and gun comedy that works. (B)

Specifications and additional film information:

• Cast: Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Potts, Jennifer Aspen, Miriam Shor, Marisol Nichols, Mark Deklin, David James Elliott and Brad Beyer
• Directed by: Alan Poul, Victor Nelli, Jr., Larry Shaw, Bethany Rooney, Randy Zisk, James Hayman, John Scott, Matt Shakman, and Paul Holahan
• Rating: TV14 -DLS
• Genre: Comedy
• Based on: a “semi-autobiographical” novel Good Christian Bitches by Kim Gatlin
• Running Time: 430 min
• Street Date: June 12, 2012
• Original Television Release Date: March through May 2012
• Language: English
• Format: DVD
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
• Video: Widescreen 1.78:1, Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions
• Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
• Number of Discs: 3 Discs, 10 Episodes
• Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment