BY DAVID KRONKE >TV CRITIC

How much you'll enjoy "The Ex List" depends upon how much you buy into its premise. It concerns one Bella Bloom (Elizabeth Reaser), who, on the night of her sister's bachelorette party, takes her to a psychic who gives readings to all in attendance.

The psychic informs Bella that if she doesn't marry within the year, she never will, and that she's already dated her soulmate. For some reason, Bella takes this balderdash to heart.

Tonight's episode has Bella revisiting a singer/songwriter (Eric Balfour) she once dated for whom "emo" was not just a musical genre but a lifestyle. He's grown since then - when she tracks him down, he performs a song he wrote about her, titled "Bitch."

"The Ex List" is at its best when it's content to dwell on Bella and her pals' casually entitled lifestyle - they're too precious by half, hanging out in kids' wading pools, but in their quippy banter they seem to realize what slackers they are.

The dialogue tries to push the envelope with conversations about waxing that seem more self-conscious than controversial, but then, this is a self-absorbed generation the show is essaying. Also, this is a show about a woman who needs to sleep around as quickly as possible to find a husband.

Reaser is a gifted actress who has popped in a number of guest spots on shows - she had an extended story arc on "Grey's Anatomy," for example. But here, the actress infuses Bella with an "Aren't-I-Just-Adorable" attitude that's at extreme odds with the show's insistence on Bella's abject insecurity that she may never find the man of her dreams.

So you can reject the show on its flaky premise, or you can reject it on the logical incongruities in Reaser's performance. Either way, here's guessing people won't buy into it.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com

www.insidesocal.com/tv/

review>

THE EX LIST  2 stars

>What: A beautiful young woman is told by a psychic that she has one year to find true love or she'll live alone forever.

>Where: CBS (Channel 2).

>When: 9 pm Friday

>In a nutshell: Yeah, right.