GCB (Giant Continuous Bellylaughs)

Billionaire Ponzi schemer absconds with loot. Mistress' ministrations distract him from his driving. Sportscar goes off cliff. Widow and two kids, now broke, must go to live with grandmother in Dallas.

The set-up for Sunday night's pilot took but a minute. Then the laughs come one after another.

Sample dialogue and visual gags before the first commercial:

The TV reporter, Bridget Sanchez-Fong, is black.

"Grandma, do you have Internet?" "Why would I, I don't watch porn."

"If you need to go to one of those [AA] meetings, don't go to the one at the Baptist church--folding chairs. Chessy Bolton says the Episcopal at Turtle Creek, much better, upholstered, with canapés."

"That's Carlene?" "Carlene's had a little work done." "Little work? That's a teardown."

"Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, welcome home! How long you staying?" "Don't know yet, I'm still figuring it all out." "Well, darling, we all hope you're here for good.....and not for evil!"

"Speaking of lust, look at the men. They're all over her like flies on shh---sugar!"

[Church sign: You Reap What You Sow.] "Hey, Mom, what's that mean?" "That's Texan for 'karma.'"

The show is filled with double-entendres, interspersed with bible quotes. One of the familiar comic devices is the utterance of a platitude, followed by a quick cut to the GCB ("good Christian belle") behaving the opposite.

The first episode was very funny, but I wonder if the writers can keep it up. They need to guard against beating the hypocrisy theme to death, as well as having Amanda's enemies all be one-dimensional mean girls.

The DVR has been set to "record series." © 2012 Stephen Yuen