The two-hour series premiere of The Starter Wife airs this Friday, October 10th, at 9/8c on USA.

Yes, I did say series premiere. It originally aired as a mini-series a year ago and not only had stellar ratings but won numerous awards. People liked it. So much so that USA decided to bring it back as a series and we’ll be getting ten brand new episodes this first season.

Debra Messing stars as Molly Kagan, the previous Hollywood starter wife of Kenny Kagan (David Alan Basche). In the mini-series, fans watched as Molly’s life fell apart and she got it back under control. This season we’ll continue to follow her post-divorce adventures along with those of her two best friends Joan McAllister (Judy Davis) and Rodney Evans (Chris Diamantopoulos).

Confession time: I didn’t watch the mini-series. Or, rather, I watched the first episode and quickly decided it wasn’t for me. So, when the screener for the two-hour series premiere landed on my doorstep, I wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to watch. But with that premiere date quickly approaching and others buzzing about it positively, I decided it was time to give it a second chance.

I’m not going to say I loved it. It was, however, much better than I remember. That’s possibly because the cringe-worthy and hard-to-watch divorce stuff is largely a thing of the past. Remember, I over-empathize with TV characters…a trait that still makes some moments of the show difficult to watch. I am too tempted to fast forward past a scene just so I don’t have to seeh someone get embarrassed or humiliated. As humorous as it might be, I can’t stomach watching it. This the very same reason, if you’ll recall, it took me so long to revise my original opinion of The Office.

I also don’t care for Debra Messing’s voiceover work. Look, voiceovers can be difficult to get right and I just don’t think she conveys enough emotion in her line readings. She’s great when you can see her body language, etc., but the voiceovers lack a certain oomph. (Look out, technical terminology!)

Nor am I a big fan of the movie parody dream sequences the show seems fond of using. Sometimes they work but mostly I find them kind of stupid and/or confusing. It’s almost like the show doesn’t go far enough with them to make them worthwhile. If it’s an over-the-top dream sequence, I want it to be really over-the-top. Something to make them stand out from the rest of the scenes, ya know?

Beyond that, though, I could see myself getting drawn in by these characters. I like Molly. She can be a dingbat and she certainly has her faults but she’s also a good person and mostly has her priorities right. Debra Messing is perfect for the role really. She makes what could be unlikable character lovable. That’s no easy feat.

Plus, her friends are both kooky and fun. They were consistently cracking me up during these first two hours. Each has side stories of their own that occasionally intersect with Molly’s in hilarious ways. We all know I’m a sucker for best friend set-ups and this was no exception. And Molly’s got a new friend in Liz Marsh (Danielle Nicolet) that I also liked and was interested in learning more about.

Molly’s ex, Kenny, is an ass but there’s also something about him that makes it impossible to hate the guy. Which I’m pretty sure is why Molly continues to find herself interacting with him beyond issues that involve Jaden (their daughter, played by Brielle Barbusca). I suspect we’ll get to see just how hard it is to separate yourself from the other person even after the divorce. Not that Molly won’t get some help in doing so from her new love interest Zach Phillips (Hart Bochner). Zach’s a writing class professor and I instantly liked him. He’s not without his faults but I enjoyed the way the two played off of each other.

As for what actually happens in the episode, well I’ll let you find that out for yourselves when you tune in to The Starter Wife this Friday, October 10th, at 9/8c on USA. This show hasn’t quite guaranteed itself a spot on my permanent schedule but it’s definitely earned another few episodes to win me over completely. And if you didn’t give it a try the first time either, I suggest giving it another go. It might surprise you too.

PS: Don’t forget to enter The Starter Wife Weekend Getaway Tote giveaway!