Kristin Chenoweth Battles Grownup Mean Girls On 'GCB'

If you have seen the glittering, gaudy ads for ABC's new show, GCB, then you might have been thinking more WTF than OMG. The show, based on the Kim Gatlin book Good Christian Bitches, has had a controversial start, after it failed to satisfy Christian groups with the bowdlerized title, Good Christian Belles. Alas, a vague and clumsy acronym had to suffice for the campy new comedy, starring Broadway musical matron Kristin Chenoweth, who says the show is less about religion per se and more about Christian themes like forgiveness and charity as they're applied to the real world.

OK, "real world" might be a bit of a stretch. The setting is Dallas, Texas, known simultaneously for its larger-than-life consumerism as well as for its Bible Belt dogma — a combo punch easily, and often, exploited by network TV. But GCB, according to Chenoweth, will turn the soapy spectacle of Dallas on its head, to comedic and — at times — musical effect.

"I think that Carlene probably gives herself the solos a lot," Chenoweth told Zap2it, referring to her Botox-addled character, Carlene Cockburn. "We will see her sing. Church lends itself very well to music, so it never comes out of left field. I think what comes out of left field is what comes out of Carlene's mouth sometimes."

One thing curious viewers ought not to expect, however, is blasphemy. "I wouldn't do it if it did," Chenoweth insisted, responding to critics who say the show makes fun of Christianity. "I think that [the critics] need to watch the show. They're making a judgment and they shouldn't. They should watch it and see that we don't make fun. There's a difference between 'making fun' and 'having fun with.' We're having fun with a world that I know very, very well. But it's still very respectful, and it's more about women and their relationships with each other than it is about religion."

GCB premieres Sunday on ABC.

Watch a clip here: