A press release from Lifetime touts a new slate of unscripted entertainments from the cable network. While we're certain the kitchen island therapy of Mom's Cooking and the ladies-only seances going down over at clairvoyant Lisa Williams's show are sure to connect with their audience, it's their third announced series—what some might call a calculated attempt at jumping on the "Plus-Size Sideshow" bandwagon, as the NY Times dubs it—that most stood out:

In "Untitled Fat Friends Project," a new five episode special docu-series, follows friends Anna Lloyd (30, Pasadena, CA), Lydia Moody (25, Los Angeles, CA), Megan Stewart (29, Anaheim, CA), Shawna McClellan (27, Anaheim, CA) and Morgan Lancaster (30, Monrovia, CA), as they attempt to loose [sic] weight together.

They've enabled each other's weight problems to escalate for over half a decade, but now, they finally have the courage to transform their lives together. Each has their own reasons for wanting to lose the pounds, but all have one common goal to look their very best at Anna's upcoming wedding. With the help of professional fitness trainer Jessie Pavelka, each woman will change her eating and exercise habits over the course of 90 days. They will also have the opportunity to heighten their self-esteem and work through the issues that lead them to their weight gain with the help of psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser.

While we think the concept has potential—to say nothing of setting the stage nicely for more specialised future iterations like Untitled Fat Friend And Fatter Friends Who Make Fat Friend Feel Better About Herself Project—we still think audiences won't warm to the show until it's properly branded with an official name. And nothing insensitive like Sisterhood of the Travelling Muumuu! It needs something fun and sassy, like Plus-Sized Besties or The Lunch Bunch, or maybe something just a touch sentimental, like The Way to the Heart or All-You-Can Love Buffet.

• LIFETIME TELEVISION ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF DAYTIME PROGRAMMING WITH DIVERSE SLATE OF NEW UNSCRIPTED ORIGINALS [Lifetime via thefutoncritic.com]
• Plus-Size Sideshow [NY Times]

Tags: lifetime | name the show | reality tv | untitled fat friends project