Is the writing on Samantha Who good? It's okay - somewhere directly between 30 Rock and Cavemen (and if you don't know which one of those shows is on which end of the comedy writing spectrum, we can't help you.) Well, then the supporting ensemble must be great, right? On paper, definitely, but they're not given much to do at the start of the season. So, why would The Deadbolt possibly recommend a show with just decent writing and a wasted supporting cast? Two words - potential and Applegate. The cast, including the always-great Jean Smart, the gorgeous Jennifer Esposito, and the very likable Barry Watson and Melissa McCarthy, all have the potential to take even the weakest material and make it interesting. And Christina Applegate is already doing that. In the first two episodes of Samantha Who, the show is understandably a one-woman experience and you won't find many more talented TV actresses than Christina Applegate to helm this kind of material. She's been a part of the TV landscape for decades and she gets one of her best roles in Samantha Who. We only hope everything around her rises to the level of the central performance.

In Samantha Who, Applegate plays Samantha Newly, a woman who has been in a coma for months and wakes up with no memory of who she was before the accident. She has basic skills and knows right from wrong, but she doesn't remember her friends, lovers, or personality traits. And, the twist is, that might be a good thing. The old Samantha, cheating on her man and planning to get a boob job to get ahead at work, is someone that the new Samantha isn't sure she wants to go back to being. It's a gimmick that gives Applegate tons of material in the early episodes, but one wonders how long they can keep it up and what the show will develop into when the new Samantha becomes the only Samantha. (They should start by dropping the "Who?" from the title. Just call the show Samantha or Sam. It worked pretty well for Seinfeld and Frasier and gives them the freedom to move beyond the question mark in later seasons or even in just a few months.)

Christina Applegate completely sells every element of Sam from the amnesia to the flashbacks of the hardcore witch that she used to be. She's funny, charming, and makes every episode that we've seen of the show completely watchable. And she's surrounded by just as talented comedians in Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn, and Melissa McCarthy. Barry Watson and Jennifer Esposito aren't really known for comedy, but they're also likable enough for the show to work in the long run. Given the concept of the show, Samantha Who is in a funny predicament. They've got the lead patient up and running, now they need to fill in the blank slate of the life around her. We're rooting for Samantha.