CW Wednesday 9pm
debuts Wednesday, September 16, 9pm
concept
from

The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful façade is a world of insecurity and cut-throat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Mayer (Sara Paxton, Last House on the Left), a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews (Benjamin Hollingsworth, The Line), a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy.

When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen (appearing in a cameo role), she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja Stone (Mischa Barton, The O.C.). Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by an agent at the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson, Friends)... 
stars Sara Paxton (Last House on the Left), Benjamin Hollingsworth (The Line), Mischa Barton (The O.C.), Elle Macpherson (Friends), Ashley Madekwe (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Corbin Bleu (High School Musical 2), Nico Tortorella (Twelve)
producers Ashton Kutcher & Jason Goldberg (True Beauty, Punk'd), Karey Burke (True Beauty) and Mike Kelley (Swingtown, Jericho)
studio Katalyst Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television
my take
It fits The CW mold exactly, even if the premise is somewhat like original Melrose Place spinoff, Models, Inc. It's got Ashton Kutcher as Executive Producer, which really is good. Maybe the characters will Tweet during the show. Mischa Barton's personal issues gave it some serious news coverage earlier in the summer, which only will help the sampling of the show. They're trying to create short lingo already by calling it The Beautiful Life TBL in the promos. And so will I: TBL has the post-America's Next Top Model slot, which is pretty perfect for it. The premise is once again, beautiful people doing bad things and having sex. Which is the theme for the entire CW.
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