Mario Lopez brings to his new reality show the same wide-eyed, perfect-grinned over-enthusiasm we've come to expect from the Saved By The Bell star turned entertainment host.
Making its Canadian premiere tonight at 9 p.m. on Twist TV, Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby follows Lopez and his girlfriend Courtney Mazza as they prepare for the birth of their first child.
Produced for VH1, the series is the behind-the-scenes look at Lopez' life that nobody asked for, and a pretty harmless 22 minutes of entertainment.
In fact, what sets this series apart from any number of other reality shows is that its stars are almost too inoffensive.
Sure, there's definite effort to make Lopez appear kooky enough to carry a reality series. For example, when Mazza calls to say they're out of toilet paper at home, Lopez scours the Extra offices for a spare roll he can deliver. Because going and picking some up at the store, the audience gathers, would be too logical and couldn't possibly fill 90 seconds of air time.
Still, at no point watching the premiere did I feel the fury and frustration fare like Jersey Shore tends to stir inside me. Nor did I feel shame, fear and loathing that I exist on the same earth as Lopez and Mazza.
Whether such feelings are required of good reality TV is perhaps a matter of personal taste.
Preparing for parenthood is the real theme of the show, with the main conflict of the premiere being Mazza's desire to learn the sex of the baby, and Lopez wanting to wait. Future episodes promise to deal with Lopez' busy work schedule, and how that could conflict with family life and being present at the baby's delivery.
There's sadly no cameo by the likes of Elizabeth Berkely, or even Dennis Haskins in the premiere. But for the whole Saved by the Bell crew to not be present for the eventual birth of baby Lopez would just be rude, right? Right?!
While the reality show could never compare to the iconic nature of the Saturday morning sitcom that launched his career, Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby ensures 10 episodes of airtime for its star's perfect skin, dimples and chiseled physique. We can only hope he'll break out some classic A.C. Slater dance moves at some point along the way.