'Life Unexpected' raises expectations

The CW's new cute romantic drama "Life Unexpected" opened to solid ratings last Monday. The good news is that the second episode at 9 tonight is better than the first.

So there's hope that the network will recapture some of the glory that The WB enjoyed before it merged with UPN to form The CW.

"Life Unexpected" follows the story of a teenager who brings her estranged family back together when she seeks emancipation after years in foster care.

Extremely appealing actress Britt Robertson plays Lux, an attractive, bright and amazingly resilient 15-year-old who was put up for adoption as an infant.

Lux is the result of a one-night stand between two immature high school students who quickly split up before her birth. Her father didn't even know she existed.

It's a bit of a stretch to accept that Lux was never adopted because she's such a smart charmer. In the opening episode she wants out of the system and needs her birth parents to sign off on legal papers granting emancipation.

She tracks them down only to find that her dad Nate "Baze" Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha) and mom Cate (Shiri Appleby) aren't well-adjusted adults. Both have gone their separate ways and instantly resume the bickering that kept them apart in high school.

Of course, this trio ends up trying to sort things out. Will mom and daughter ever bond? Will Baze ever grown up and take responsibility? Will Baze and Cate ever fall in love?

These questions, handled with humor and drama, will drive the show. "Life Unexpected" has been compared to The WB's best series ever, "Gilmore Girls." It's good but few dramas will ever live up to the glib "Gilmore" dialogue written by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Even so, "Life Unexpected" is a refreshing change from the slick young adult soaps such as "Gossip Girl."

VIDBITS: David Hasselhoff, who recently resigned from "America's Got Talent," is getting his own reality show on A&E. The network has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of an untitled behind-the-scenes look into the life of "The Hoff" focusing on his work and his role as single dad trying to help his teenage daughters break into the recording industry.

•Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly returns from maternity leave to begin solo anchoring a new two-hour program from 1 to 3 p.m. beginning Feb. 1. In September, she gave birth to Edward Yates Brunt. The baby, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, is the first child for Kelly and her husband, Douglas Brunt.

•CBS has announced the cast for the next "Amazing Race" (returning Feb. 14) and there's no one from Florida among the 11 teams. Of interest are dating former "Big Brother" housemates Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd.

Another team is the geography-challenged beauty queen Caitlin Upton, who gained notoriety after her rambling response to a question in 2007's Miss Teen USA pageant, and her boyfriend Brent Horne. They will compete on the 16th edition of CBS's race around the world.

•Come up with a new twist on the Folgers coffee jingle ("The Best Part of Wakin' Up") and win $25,000. "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi is helping Folgers pick the best. Aspiring performers can submit their re-creations online now through Feb. 28 at www.bestpartofwakinup.com/sections/jinglehome.