Review of THS Featuring Rachael Ray

E! has established itself a reputation for playing the same shows over and over and over again (like any cable network), but it can come in handy. If you missed the True Hollywood Story episode featuring Rachael Ray the first time around, don't worry. It's not an exception to the repeat rule. It will re-air on Sunday, July 29, at 8:00am, and Wednesday, August 22, at 8:00 pm.

Back when the episode initially aired, the New York Post's Linda Stasi wrote a review of the episode. Her introduction pretty much sums up her thoughts: "If Rachael Ray were a little kid today, she’d probably be one of those tots who is diagnosed as hyperactive and would be put on drugs immediately - if not sooner." Sad, but true.

Stasi notes that if she had been, "she would never have been allowed to become what she is today - an endlessly energetic entrepreneur, author and TV superstar." She found it tough to walk away from the episode with anything but admiration for Rachael. Stasi provides a quick summary of the path that Rachael Ray took to stardom, as described on THS, which is worth a read if you're not familiar with the story.

Stasi's criticism of the episode relates to its predominately positive portrayal (yeah alliteration!) of Rachael:

Will we ever tire of her and her loud delivery? Maybe. Does this show address it? Absolutely not.

That’s the problem here. It’s all sugar and no spice - and as another high-profile lifestyle guru might say, that’s not a good thing.

Seeems like that sentiment could be expressed for just about every episode of THS these days. It's just not the scandalous show that it used to be.