"The D-List" Is Back on Track...

You guys might recall that I was a little tough on my beloved “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” when I reviewed the premiere. I just didn’t like the new concept of Kathy interviewing celebrities. Everything just seemed so staged.

But after that slightly rocky start, the show is on a roll thanks in large part to the antics of Maggie, Kathy’s mother—antics that are still somewhat staged, but they’re so funny, you won’t care…

The roll started three weeks ago when Team Griffin and the ever present Mike McDonald (What is up with that?) went to visit Paula Deen. Team Griffin and Team Deen were perfect for each other and the hijinx ensued. The best part was when Kathy accidentally clocked Paula in the head.

Then, last week, Kathy put Maggie in charge of her Facebook page, and of course, Maggie struggled to figure out how to use “the Face place,” leading Kathy to fire her. Plus, Kathy set out to spend more money than Paris Hilton and she succeeded. The look on Kathy’s face when she heard the total of $14,000+ was priceless.

But the best episodes of “The D-List” are when we get to see Kathy’s heart, and that’s exactly what we got to see last night as Kathy got Maggie to write her bucket list. Then, of course, Kathy set out to make all of Maggie’s dreams come true by arranging yoga with Stephanie Powers, lunch with Betty White, a trip to “the wine section” of California, and a meeting with Don Rickles.

If you’ve seen “The Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner,” you know what a pistol White can be, and she showed that last night. The highlight was when Kathy got Tom, Tiffany, Betty and Maggie to play “Password,” and of course, Maggie screwed it up and said the word.

But the show’s best moments were when Maggie met Don Rickles. Maggie and John, Kathy’s father, were big fans of Rickles and so it was a real treat for Maggie to spend time with him. And when it came time for him to leave, Maggie had trouble letting him go because he reminded her so much of John, which even Kathy noted while barely keeping it together.

I admit, I kind of teared up myself…

When a show can make you laugh, groan and cry all in the same hour, that’s good TV…

“The D-List” is back on track, folks, so get on board the Griffin train…

“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on Bravo. You can watch an encore of last night’s episode Monday, July 13th at 9 p.m…

Photo Credits: Stephen Morton/Bravo & Mike Ruiz/Bravo