The New Season: Right time for Lifetime?

The TV writers at the Television Critics Assn. Press Tour in Beverly Hills are buzzing about “Tell Me You Love Me,” a realistic look at couples in therapy, their therapist and everyone’s sex life. But that’s HBO. Stay tuned.

This morning marked the recently appointed Lifetime CEO Andrea Wong's tour debut. She introduced a panel for its new series "Side Order of Life," left, which led into one for “State of Mind,” both of which premiere this Sunday. And both are looking to repeat the success of Lifetime's "Army Wives" -- all three were picked by the channel's entertainment president, Susanne Daniels.

"State of Mind" is about a therapist whose own problems parallel her patients’ starting when she discovers her husband having an affair with their couple’s therapist.

Amy Bloom, a practicing psychotherapist who wrote the pilot and created the show, told the group there probably won’t be too many more therapy series since, “It’s not an interesting process to watch.” 

And Lili Taylor, who stars as shrink Dr. Ann Bellowes and said she’s had her own therapists, said one reason she took the role was that she had no doubt her character was completely authentic.

How long can one last as a therapist if they’re as frank as Dr. Bellowes, who tells her patients they should get a divorce if they aren’t interested in changing? Quite a while, said Bloom, noting she’s been employed herself for more than 20 years. That took a second to sink in.

Other announcements from Lifetime, TV’s top female oriented network:

-- “Army Wives,” the network’s highest rated series in its history, has been picked up for another, 18-episode season.

-- A new Friday night block of reality programming will include a second season of “Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead”  starting Oct. 12.

-- And an original movie “The Murder of Princess Diana” based on a novel of the same title, will air in a three-night premiere starting Aug. 25.

Later this afternoon: HBO. Which, in addition to "Tell Me You Love Me," has another shrink series coming later in the year: "In Treatment," starring Gabriel Byrne.

-- Lynn Smith

(Photo: Lifetime)