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I'm in love. In love with a sitcom, of all things. In love with "American Housewife."

And it was love at first sight. The first time I watched the pilot in May, I adored it.

As the series begins (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4), the title character, Katie Otto (Katy Mixon), is having a crisis. Her neighbor, Fat Pam (whom we never actually meet), has just put her house on the market.

"She's had enough of the skinnies in this town," Katie says. "And once Fat Pam is gone, I am going to be the second … fattest housewife in Westport."

Mixon — who wrapped up a six-season run in "Mike & Molly" four days before she was cast in "American Housewife" — is not, of course, really fat. She's a normal-sized woman. But she lives in snooty Westport, Conn., because it has "great schools with special programs for our Anna-Kat … who just might need a little extra help."

Young Anna-Kat (Julia Butters) has "a touch of the anxieties." She's a great little girl who has OCD — and that's not easy when you're a kid.

Her brother, Oliver (Daniel DiMaggio), has one goal in life — to be rich. He doesn't want to participate in the school food drive because "the constant doling out of freebies violates my principles, and it's tearing this country apart."

And then there's teenager Taylor (Meg Donnelly), "whose life has been one long awkward phase, until last Thursday when the boob fairy paid her a visit." Katie worries that Taylor is going to grow up to be one of the appearance-obsessed Westport women she can't stand.

"My full-time job is to make sure two of my kids fit in less and one fits in more," says Katie, who truly loves her kids.

And her husband, Greg (Diedrich Bader) — who loves Katie in return and is attracted to her just the way she is.

But, in the premiere, Katie is thrown for a loop by Fat Pam's impending move.

"It's making me feel really bad about something that I don't already feel great about in the first place — being fat," Katie tells Greg.

"American Housewife" is not a show about being fat. It's about regular people dealing with marriage, kids and life in general.

"She's an authentic woman living in an inauthentic world, and she's trying the best that she can to be who she is," Mixon said. "And sometimes she's fearless and sometimes she's got so many insecurities."

Mixon, whom I never really noticed much on "Mike & Molly," is fantastic as Katie. I dare you not to fall in love with her, too. Bader plays Greg perfectly — low-key, patient and adoring, all at once.

I don't fall for every sitcom that comes along. Hey, TV critics are a skeptical bunch, and more than 26 years of reviewing TV shows has taught me not to get overly excited about a show when I'm seeing one episode of what the producers and the network hope will run for years.

I've still seen only one episode of "American Housewife," but I've rewatched it several times — including another viewing to take notes for this column. And I've laughed out loud every time.

I preferred the original title — "The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport" — but I understand the more generic "American Housewife."

"I feel like it just opens doors instead of closing them," said creator/executive producer/writer Sarah Dunn ("Spin City," "Bunheads").

I just hope "American Housewife" gets people to give this show a chance.

Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.