I am – Hercules!!

Like “Desperate Housewives,” it’s a super-sitcommy ABC hourlong. Unlike “Desperate Housewives, it’s from “Jake 2.0” creator Silvio Horta.

It’s about a fashion magazine exec forced to hire an ugly assistant because he keeps sleeping with all his pretty ones.

America Ferrera, who plays the title role, is terrific – and far closer to “cute” than “ugly” – but the show surrounding her is an unfunny cartoon jam-packed with unpleasant and annoying characters.

But what matters Herc’s opinion?

Variety says:

… America Ferrara is just a wisp of a thing, which makes it all the more remarkable that this whimsical new drama fits so neatly on her shoulders. Unspectacular in every other way, this adaptation of a popular Spanish telenovela -- liberally adorned with swatches of "The Devil Wears Prada" -- rises above the norm almost entirely on Ferrara's winsome, winning portrayal of an duckling treading water amid fashion snobs. … Throughout, there's a sweet, storybook quality to Betty's underdog status that clashes, sometimes awkwardly, with an overly broad comedic tone. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… Overall, to its great benefit, "Ugly Betty" focuses mostly on its title character. Anything else is little more than an afterthought. … This isn't a telenovela simply translated into English, like the two dreadful series on MyNetworkTV. This is a warmhearted dramedy, which gushes charm and family appeal. If you don't find yourself cheering for sweet, hardworking, slightly naive but tenacious Betty and her family and friends, you deserve a high standing on some heart transplant list. …

Entertainment Weekly says:

… Arguably, best new show. But why are we arguing? …

USA Today gives it three and a half (out of four) stars and says:

In the long run, charm can be far more appealing than beauty. And it there's one thing Ugly Betty has in near-excess, it's charm — led by an enormously endearing, unobtrusively skillful, star-making turn from America Ferrera as Betty. … From work to home, Betty is a collection of stereotypes, but this is a show (and a genre) that works in very broad strokes. … like its characters, Betty would benefit from a steadier hand at the wheel. The second episode, while still enjoyable, is a bit slight and repetitive. And aside from Mabius, the performances on the Mode side of the story are no more than adequate. (And a few fall below that mark.) There is no new show more likable, but that affection may waver if Betty can't give Ferrera the scripts and support she deserves. Even intense charm can curdle if you lean on it exclusively.

The New York Times says:

… “Ugly Betty” is indeed cute. But she’s the new girl. Let’s not all pounce on her at once. It’s too much to ask of this mostly guileless, slightly ungainly series that it be another “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives” for ABC this year, so maybe we should watch aloofly, starting tonight. Let’s let Betty find her locker and her lunch table, and observe her without asking that she be more than she is. … Can this sitcom setup work in an hourlong format? Seems dubious, but “Ugly Betty” is onto the doubts about it and stands ready to turn them into plot. … “Ugly Betty” is a sweet, funny show. It’s worth watching. And we’ll see.

The Washington Post says:

The heroine of "Ugly Betty," as the title does considerably more than imply, is not by traditional or contemporary standards a raving beauty. But she's a beautiful person just the same, and you might be raving once you meet her via the ABC series premiering tonight and raising the bar on new-season comedies way, way up. … It's more of a dramedy, since Betty's persona lends herself to the occasional poignancy. But the creators of the series, which was adapted from a successful Colombian telenovela, have wisely been sparing with the pathos; there are no self-congratulatory fanfares to herald or warn of a Tender Moment Ahead. Betty sneaks up on you and steals your heart -- rather than turning on the pixilated cutes and screaming "Love me!" in your ear. … It's sweet, touching and deliriously cheerful -- the best new show of the year and a great big blast of happiness.

The Los Angeles Times says:

… one of the season's best new shows. … it's not like anything else on the U.S. network schedule. … Ferrera, who starred in "Real Women Have Curves" and, out of costume, takes a glamour shot as well as any young Hollywood actress, is certainly what makes this version go. It's a sparkling performance of a many-faceted character — a girlfriend, daughter, sister, aunt, helper and heroine, on a journey not to the prince's castle but someplace she can call her own.

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… The second episode is a tad more gimmicky -- "Fashion TV" updates that take the humor to a less naturalistic level, and the ratcheting up of a weaker plotline about extra-sensitive (possibly deadly) family secrets (this is based on a telenovela, so that's hardly a surprise). Tone issues, then, are at hand. And those are always dicey until an audience knows what kind of show it's getting. Even with that mild caveat, "Ugly Betty" is worth checking out. It retains a charm that far outstrips expectations. And Ferrera's performances are small wonders to behold. …

8 p.m. Thursday. ABC.

Shipping This Weekend!!
Cheapest Twilight Zone Ever!!
$453.95 All Five Seasons Purchased Separately
$224.99 The Complete Series

Also shipping this weekend? The Abbott & Costello Show 2.x * Andromeda 5.x * Andromeda: The Complete Series * The Andy Griffith Show 1.1-1.8 * Forever Knight Trilogy Part 3 * G.I. Joe Sigma 6: First Strike * The Greatest American Hero: The Complete Series Deluxe Set * McLeod's Daughters 1.x * Medium 2.x * MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge 1.x * Penn & Teller: Bullshit 3.x * Penn & Teller: Bullshit 1.x-3.x * South Park: The Hits Vol. 1 * Stargate SG-1 9.x * Three's Company 8.x * Tom & Jerry Tales Vol. 1