Name of show
“Privileged”

Timeslot
CW, Tuesdays 9 p.m.

Plot synopsis
“Privileged” follows the life of Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia), a 23-year-old Yale grad who aspires to a career as a journalist, and as the series opens she is working at a tabloid magazine.

The dream comes to an abrupt end when she's let go, but as it happens that very same day she meets Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer), a cosmetics mogul, and in a flash she accepts a job as a live-in-tutor for Laurel’s twin granddaughters Rose (Lucy Kate Hale) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough) in Palm Beach.

As Megan is working to win over the teens, she meets and becomes interested in Will (Brian Hallisay), a neighbor who happens to be dating Megan’s estranged sister, Lily (Kristina Apgar). The potential love triangle then becomes a rectangle with the arrival of Charlie (Michael Cassidy), Megan’s best friend who has a secret crush on her.

“Privileged” is based on Zoey Dean’s book “How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls.”

Outlook
“Privileged” fits nicely into the CW's strategy of targeting young women, and it certainly would seem to have all the elements to do just that.

We can start with the locale, Palm Beach, a most ritzy resort area populated by old money, which gives the series the sort of aspirational quality attractive to young females, very much in the vein of CW’s other teen soaps, “Gossip Girl” and “90210.”

The main character is in her early 20s, which should attract women of a similar age also starting out in their careers, as well as teens drawn to the sudsy drama the show promises.

But "Privileged" has a lot going for it beyond its demographic appeal.

The show leads out of "90210," which debuted last week to all sorts of records for CW, and it should deliver a solid audience for tonight's "Privileged" premiere.

"Privileged" is also debuting earlier than most new shows this season, giving it a chance to draw viewers against light competition.

Also working in "Privileged's" favor, it won't be airing against shows with broad appear among the 18-34 demographic the CW targets.

Tonight it's up against ABC's "Wipeout," CBS's "Fashion Rocks" special, and NBC's "America's Got Talent."

Once the season gets under way, it will air against ABC's “Dancing with the Stars” results shows, CBS's “The Mentalist,” NBC's “The Biggest Loser” and Fox's "Fringe."

Two things could hurt “Privileged's" prospects, and both seem unlikely. After a strong start, “90210” could fall off dramatically, leaving “Privileged” with a weak lead-in. Or the show could simply fall apart on its own because of poor writing or acting.

The buzz
If CW’s goal is to emulate the old WB during its best years, “Privileged” hits dead center as light, quick-paced fluff.

“It was cute,” says Tracie Chinetti, a senior buyer/planner at Blitz Media in Boston, speaking of the screener of the premiere. “It’s certainly not highbrow entertainment, but it was an entertaining hour. My teenage daughter enjoyed it.”

Chinetti dismisses any suggestion that the CW might be going overboard in the suds department with shows like "Privileged" that play off similar themes.

“It’s like saying there are too many food programs on Food Network,” says Chinetti. “This is what the CW is.”

What critics are saying
“After the low-rated, buzzed-about ‘Gossip Girl’ and the no-preview-copies-of-‘90210’ debacle, there wasn’t much reason to hope The CW’s new drama ‘Privileged’ would amount to much. But it turns out to be one of the more pleasant surprises of the new fall season.” – Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“At the risk of raising expectations too high, I’ve got some good news for all you ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans. ‘Privileged’ is the closest thing we’ve seen to that show since it left the air.” – Scott D. Pierce, Deseret News

“I don’t know that I’ll ever watch another episode, but that says more about my own demographic and interests than it does about the merits of ‘Privileged.’ As these shows go, it’s not bad.” – Alan Sepinwall, New Jersey Star-Ledger