America's Next Great Restaurant

Based on the two episodes available for preview, Restaurant is admirably low on trash-TV antics, lending it additional family-friendly appeal in the 8 p.m. hour leading into another competition, "Celebrity Apprentice."

America's Next Great Restaurant doesn't have the drama of a Gordon Ramsay show, but it does have a behind-the-scenes factor that is fresh enough--who knew coming up with a logo was so hard?--and the subject matter has universal appeal.

None of the contestants are quite as memorable as their ideas, except for the man fighting for Saucy Balls. The judges are a little more vivid, remaining firm in their opinions and unafraid to reject proposals without much apology.

The show has its tense moments. But it's closer to comfort television than "Hell's Kitchen."

The newcomer is unlikely to provoke much dinner table conversation, but goes down easily enough while trying not to leave any really bitter aftertastes.

NBC is clearly aiming for a network companion to their successful "Top Chef" franchise here, but while the aesthetics and the challenges are decidedly Bravo-esque, the personalities don't ever come close.

What makes the show at least mildly interesting is that it's not always easy to predict who will make it to the next round and who will be cut.

America's Next Great Restaurant is quickly undone by the same mean-spiritedness that makes Survivor, American Idol and the rest of this genre such an unpleasant viewing experience. Winning depends at least as much (and probably much more) on impressing the producers with television skills as it does on winning over the judges with culinary expertise or business savvy. So taunting and backbiting among the contestants is a dreary constant.