Sherri Shepherd, one of the co-hosts of “The View” is getting her own sitcom on Lifetime. While I like Sherri alright on the show, I thought she really shined in her guest-starring role as Tracey Morgan’s wife on “30 Rock.” Unfortunately “Variety” doesn’t agree with me on the whole. They wrote an article about Sherri’s new show (creatively enough titled “Sherri”) and it is one passive-aggressive dig after another. When you really pay attention to the little jabs you realize they’re basically saying “You suck!” with a big grin on their face so for a moment you think they’re being nice. Not so much.

Sherri” is an odd duck — a sitcom “loosely based” on comic/”The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd’s life before she was successful, back when she was a full-time office worker and part-time stand-up and actress. Mostly, the show functions as an opportunity to allow Shepherd to unleash comedic riffs while the rest of the appreciative cast takes in her act, dispensing advice like, “A man who cheats can never be trusted again. Dump him.” A sitcom with dialogue like that should probably be kept on a short leash, too.

Lifetime will launch the series at 7 p.m. (with “Rita Rocks”) before the programs take up residence at 10 p.m. Tuesdays, creating a lighter alternative to the cable dramas that populate that hour. And indeed, nobody will confuse “Sherri” with “Sons of Anarchy.” Sherri is introduced with her office pals Celia (Tammy Townsend) and the cheerfully dense Angie (Elizabeth Regen), whose self-esteem issues lead her to sleep with guys — married or otherwise –only if they really like her.

As for Sherri, she’s a single mom with a concerned dad (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s” James Avery), an awkward suitor (“Spin City’s” Michael Boatman) and an ex-husband (“The Cosby Show’s” Malcolm-Jamal Warner) who cheated on her — with a (gasp) white girl. The awkward part is that Sherri keeps bumping into people familiar with her comedy appearances and telling her how terrific she is. Then again, one suspects that Sherri’s real and fictional versions share a fondness for those particular moments, which explains a lot about the show, beginning with its title.

Shepherd actually had a pretty decent sitcom resume (recurring on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Less Than Perfect”) before “The View” kicked in, but her higher profile notwithstanding, she’s limited as a performer in terms of carrying this sort of vehicle.

Still, the female banter (courtesy of writer Dave Flebotte, recently of “Desperate Housewives”) comes fast and sassy, the situations — infidelity, single motherhood, dating again — play like a compendium of daytime TV staples, the devout Shepherd and her pals actually pray together at work, and she brings built-in name recognition to the party.

So while “Sherri” doesn’t rock any better than “Rita” does, for Lifetime, that’s probably enough.

[From Variety]

That’s quite the kick in the metaphorical crotch. They didn’t all out scream “We hate it!” but you can’t help but feel that’s the overall tone. At best it was “This may be mildly adequate. With enough uppers.” I thought the absolute most cutting thing was, “The awkward part is that Sherri keeps bumping into people familiar with her comedy appearances and telling her how terrific she is. Then again, one suspects that Sherri’s real and fictional versions share a fondness for those particular moments, which explains a lot about the show, beginning with its title.” So are they saying that all actors/comedians who name their shows after themselves are narcissists, or just Sherri?

Okay, it sounds sort of awful. Actually it just sounds dull and generic, which I guess would lend some credence to the mediocrity theory. I don’t think it’s something I’d choose to sit through… but damn. I doubt I’d say “It sucks, but it’s good enough for Lifetime!” Sherri is likeable though, so she might rise above the review and get some decent ratings anyway. You know, for Lifetime.

Here’s Sherri (with Barbara Walters) attending the launch of ‘Sherri’ at the Empire Hotel in New York yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.com .