ABC’s newest show is “What About Brian” and if you watch the promos for the show, you know it’s from the producers of “Lost” and “Alias.” But don’t worry your pretty little head; the show is absolutely nothing like either “Lost” or “Alias.” The show was created by Dana Stevens; you are probably familiar with her romance themed screenplays like City of Angels, For Love of The Game, and Life or Something Like It. Okay maybe not that last one, it pretty much bombed at the Box Office.

Annnnnyway, “What About Brian” is about Brian, played by Barry Watson, a guy in his 30’s who is in love with his best friend’s girlfriend, and is unsuccessful in trying to find anyone else who can fill her shoes. Or pumps, depending on where she’s going I suppose. He’s got a group of great friends, all of whom seemingly have found their soul mates, but What About Brian? Get it? Ok, good.

ABC seems to have a hard on for shows about successful, pretty, charming people who absolutely can not find romance. They recently tried it with “Jake in Progress” and “Emily’s Reasons Why Not” only to find viewers running for the hills. But it looks like ABC will just keep trying until they get the formula right. In fact, here’s a checklist we found from the ABC execs:

“What About Brian” might follow some of the same formulas, but the good news is that this show is much better than the aforementioned John Stamos/Heather Graham disasters. Now don’t get me wrong, “What About Brian” still has its fair share of clichés and predictable situations, but it somehow does it convincingly and without too much cheese.

The show benefits from an appealing cast and somewhat believable dialogue. That’s what I liked about “What About Brian,” it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it is charming in it’s own way even if we’ve seen it all before. There’s a scene where Brian is hiding in a closet with Marjorie, the girl he can’t have. It could have come off as forced and corny, but here it was equal parts tense, romantic, and most importantly believable.

Brian, however, is just one character in this ensemble show. His friends also have problems of their own, like Dave and his sexless marriage, and Brian’s older sister Nic who is running out of time to start a family of her own.

“What About Brian” is basically “Thirtysomething” for the new thirtysomethings. I don't often find myself watching these types of shows, so it was surprising to find myself enjoying "What About Brian," but even more shocking is that I think I'll continue to watch it.

Oh, and just as a side note, my review is based on the original pilot that had actress Polly Shannon playing Brian’s love interest Marjorie. I felt that Polly Shannon was miscast, and I guess so did ABC because the role is now being played by Sarah Lancaster. So unless Sarah Lancaster totally blows it, I might actually like “What About Brian” even more than before.