Comedy’s leading lady scours ‘Ex List’

By HAL BOEDEKER

Wooing viewers for the show may be as tough a task as finding love for its star.

For Bella Bloom, love is not in bloom. Rather, for the heroine of CBS’ “The Ex List,” love is like an elusive object in a desperate scavenger hunt.

This slight but charming comedy, which debuts at 9 p.m. Friday, offers a good cast along with questionable dialogue and a dicey premise.

Bella (Elizabeth Reaser) takes a psychic’s warning seriously: Marry within a year or remain single forever.

Another warning: Mr. Right is someone she dated.

This means viewers will suffer with Bella as she revisits a lot of Mr. Wrongs. First up: an emotional rock musician (Eric Balfour) who holds grudges and lashes out at Bella in song. Love is a battlefield for him, all right.

It’s easy to root for Reaser, who won many admirers for her Ava/Rebecca role on “Grey’s Anatomy.” With a big grin and a friendly style, Reaser yearns without turning mushy.

Your enjoyment, however, could depend on the dialogue about pubic grooming. Clever or too much information? I vote the latter, especially since I’ve just met bantering lovers Augie (Adam Rothenberg) and Vivian (Alexandra Breckenridge).

Bella’s other concerns include a flower shop, an unsightly mole and soon-to-wed sister Daphne (Rachel Boston). Bella shares custody of a dog with last ex, Elliott (Mark Deklin), who won’t commit to marriage. He seems to be Mr. Right — so much for Bella’s hunt.

Bella often sees signs that send her scurrying back to the psychic. Here’s a bad sign: Executive producer Diane Ruggiero, who adapted this version of an Israeli series, departed after seven episodes. She and CBS reportedly couldn’t agree on the show’s direction.

So despite a game leading lady, “The Ex List” is going to have a hard time wooing viewers. In TV, love means knowing how to finesse silly premises.