Name of show
“Stylista”

Timeslot
CW, Wednesdays 9 p.m.

Synopsis
One way of thinking of “Stylista” is “The Devil Wears Prada” as a reality series, offering a peek inside the world of fashion magazines.

Eleven contestants serve as assistants to Anne Slowey, fashion news director at Elle magazine, performing go-fer tasks such as bringing Slowey coffee but also more meaningful work on editorial projects.

Each week a contestant is eliminated, and the last one standing wins a junior editor’s job at Elle, as well as a Manhattan apartment rent-free for a year and a $100,000 clothing allowance. Expect lots of cattiness and vamping along the way.

Outlook
“Stylista” would appear a perfect fit for the CW, as a young-skewing show on a young-skewing network.

Its one worry is that it could be too niche. Yes, it's very much like “Top Model” and to some degree Bravo’s “Project Runway” in concept: Young women compete for fame in the fashion industry.

But whereas millions of young women may aspire to be models or design clothing, the number who want to become fashion editors would seem a lot smaller. How many young women read Elle?

But that aside, “Stylista” has lots going for it, and the CW has a lot to gain by airing it, even if it doesn't draw quite the audience of “Model." It should really enhance the CW brand as a network targeting young woman, and that's a major plus. The big criticism of the network over its first two seasons was that it lacked identity. This is a show that looks like it belongs on the CW.

Another strength is that “Stylista” is from the producers of “America’s Next Top Model,” Tyra Banks and Ken Mok. If the series fails, it won’t be because of poor production quality.

Also working for “Stylista” is its Wednesday 9 p.m. timeslot, leading out of “Top Model,” which, while fading some, still performs solidly among the CW’s target audience.

Further, it faces light competition among young viewers. CBS has the procedural “Criminal Minds” in the slot and NBC has “Deal or No Deal,” both of which skew older.

Tonight, Fox airs game one of the World Series and next week the last half of a “Bones” repeat and an episode of “Til Death.”

“Stylista’s” toughest competition will be ABC’s “Private Practice.” But while that show skews female, it draws an older audience.

And however “Stylista” does in the ratings, it ought to top what it replaces. A repeat of “90210” last week drew a 1.0 overnight rating among women 18-34, down 57 percent from a 2.3 for "Model."

The buzz
Media people see “Stylista” as a great lead-out for “Top Model” and the right show for the network.

“It fits in well with CW’s core demo, like the ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Top Model’-type shows,” says Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuquerque, N.M.

She thinks it should do well. “It could have a devoted cult following that never misses an episode and knows the cast as if they’re their next-door neighbors,” says McCallum.

What critics are saying
“It’s more ‘Top Model’ without the crazy Tyra Banks or ‘Project Runway’ minus the thoughtful Tim Gunn — surprisingly addictive television even if you won’t respect yourself for watching it in the morning.” – Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, South Bend Tribune

“Overall, the show isn’t entirely devoid of joy since it does take place in such a colorful, high-energy industry, and it naturally pairs well with ‘Top Model.’ But like any fledgling fashionista, ‘Stylista’ still has to discover and embrace its own personal style.” – Hanh Nguyen, Zap2It.com

“Eight minutes is about twice as much as I had seen of ‘Stylista’ before I knew that I didn’t just hate it but wished slow, agonizing deaths on everybody involved. Believe me, I wanted to turn it off. I didn’t, because...Well, I don’t know, exactly.” – Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald