'Live to Dance': does the premiere get a gold star?

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So did “Live to Dance” work as a show on its own? CBS made a bold move in putting the show up in place of megahit “NCIS,” but right now the show still needs a bit more of an identity to justify the choice.

Let’s first focus on why this should work:

* Judging format: Having the three judges make their decision before their critiques is a bold move -- even though they can change their mind, more often than not these people won’t want to risk their credibility and become a flip-flopper simply because someone has a sappy story.
* Paula Abdul: People genuinely love her, and that can go a long way.
* The contestants: Even though there are other dance shows, it was still amazing to see how much talent actually made it out there.

Unfortunately, there are still a number of problems weighing this show down:

* The format: This show feels way too much like “America’s Got Talent” -- really, the only differences are a quieter audience and nobody eating fire. There is even the same frustrating camera that drifts from the performance to check out the judges.
* The chemistry: The judges are all fantastic on their own, but the lack of rapport was a bit sad so far.
* The mysterious audience: Where are these people sitting? It was weird to see just the stage, the judges, and applause.
* Hearing “if you get two gold stars…” at least two million times.

All in all, though, this premiere had some promise in it. The judges were fairly harsh, and didn’t just put through dance acts based on their story. The real highlight? A contemporary pair early on who loved each other, were brilliant at their craft, but were hesitant to get together in fear of ruining their performances if something goes south.

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Paula Abdul lost it on 'Live To Dance'

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Paula Abdul, once the country’s most endearingly irritating ditz on American Idol, presided over the premiere of Live To Dance on Tuesday night with a disappointing amount of calm sanity. A seemingly endless two hours of dancers ranging in age from 9 to 90, Live To Dance was constructed around her background as a dancer and choreographer.

What it proved to be, however, was an America’s Got Talent limited to fancy footwork; to a Dancing With the Stars without stars; a So You Think You Can Dance with… well, that’s basically what Live To Dance was: SYTYCD without Cat Deeley, but a lesser host with an accent, the toothy Andrew Gunsberg.

Early on, the crowd favorite was Bev and Hap, a couple aged 83 and 68 respectively, who started out dancing primly to “Moon River” but then elicited the hoots of surprise they sought by breaking and popping to James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing.” After a while, however, the age angle — oldsters or very youngsters — became repetitious. Along about the 90-minute mark, I found it difficult to warm my heart sufficiently to feel the gush of affection the judges felt for the wee tykes who formed the act Chi-Town Finest Breakers, and who drew lusty cheers from the studio audience.

Oh, right: the judges. In addition to Abdul, they are choreographer Travis Payne and Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyatt. (Wyatt is a lot more bearable than The Sing-Off‘s excruciatingly egomaniacal pussycat, Nicole Scherzinger, but not much more articulate.) The ultimate prize is $500,000. The judging gimmick is that the judges award stars: a minimum of two gold stars (as opposed to red ones) are required to pass on to the next level of competition.

As for Abdul, she seems to have intentionally lost her gift for absurdist gush. This night, it was limited to comments such as, “You can’t teach people what oozes out of you,” “You inspire me so much,” and ” You live it, you love it, you are it!”

Simon Cowell’s contribution to competition show-judging was to offer occasionally substantial, real-world criticism to American Idol contestants. (Ben Folds did it even better, and without Cowell’s smirk, on The Sing-Off.) Post-Cowell, judging got snarky whenever it wasn’t campy. But ever since Susan Boyle singe-handedly shamed the cynics on the Britain’s Got Talent panel into weepy gratefulness, shows in this genre have become soggy with sentimentality. (That’s why Sharon Osbourne went from sarcastic sniper to blubbering booster overnight on America’s Got Talent.)

The trio of Live To Dance judges strove to prove that they’re more tough-minded than the America’s Got Talent crew by rejecting some of the contestants whose pre-taped “personal stories,” such as the hearing-impaired dancer C-Bunny and the Paula-obsessed flight attendant Stone Fleshman, might have helped soften the trio’s hearts and brains. But the numbing procession of contestants soon rendered even this quality wearisome.

On Wednesday night, a one-hour edition of Live To Dance will feature finalists who’ll compete in a live “semi-final” tussle to remain on the show and advance.

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Kimberly Wyatt Goes From Pussycat Dolls to 'Live to Dance'

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There's a Pussycat Doll at the judges' table on Paula Abdul's new reality show Live To Dance.

Kimberly Wyatt, who left the Pussycat Dolls in 2010, will share her dance expertise on the CBS competition starting tonight. But why did she quit the hit pop group in the first place?

Kimberly has said in interviews that she had differences with the group offstage and she chose to follow her heart. Apparently, her heart has led her to the Live to Dance judges' table. "I have been dancing since I was 7 years old," she said at the opening of the show. "As a professional dancer I have a lot of advice to give, and I'm not afraid to give it."

What do you think of Kimberly Wyatt's debut on Live to Dance? Let us know in the comments!

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