Can TVLands New YOUNGER Age Gracefully?

Perhaps the irony in "Younger" is that it's targeted for an older audience. The premise is a just fresh enough 13 Going On 30/Big revamp. 40 year old mother Liza (Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster) decides to dive back into the competitive working class after a 15 year hiatus only to find that time is not on her side. With the help of best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar--with that fantastic old-school Rosie O'Donnell charisma) she revamps her image and nabs a job at an elite publishing firm where she is required by marketing head (Miriam Shor) to use her "youth" to assist in the company's relevant staying power--while flashes of the great 80's rom-com Working Girl seem inevitably in the horizon, that of venomous Sigourney Weaver stealing Melanie Griffiths every inventive idea to keep her from rising to the top. I can only hope that "Younger" realizes that paying homage to the listed classics above is far different than slinking away from it and plummeting into predictability. It is still too soon to tell.

I am all for fun good-hearted comedies such as this. I must say my curiosity was more than raised by the brigade of TVLand advertisements in between fading sitcoms such as "Hot In Cleveland". As "Younger" (a single camera show) continuously pokes fun at devices of a new generation--hash-tags, tweets, snap-chats, grunge wear, and hip catch-phrases, we can't help but wonder how this new comedy is going to sustain its balance resting on a "one joke" plane.

Its pace was most startling as it zipped along like the metaphoric New York City traffic. Yet I'm not sure that was in "Younger"'s best interest as the first 2 premier episodes could have been broadened into 4 with more time given to an always welcome makeover a-la The Devil Wears Prada (still Anne Hathaways most tolerable role).

Two supporters seem to stand out from the mix thus far--a strikingly well cast and scene stealing Hilary Duff as Kelsey and a handsome lovelorn bad-boy Nico Tortorella as tattoo artist Josh. Both actors immediately give their characters unexpected "heart".

And yet, so does "Younger". No matter that it does not totally defy convention or allow us to breathe in moments of greatness--it scores highly in charm and performance level by all involved. I am highly curious to see what the coming months bring.

P.S. Download unofficial theme song "Turn It Around" by Lucius. It completely captures the intended new-age "Sex In The City" vibe.