Executives at the WB are hoping her young fan base will continue to grow with her and follow the talented young actress to her new sitcom "What I Like About You."

Bynes portrays Holly, a perky teen who is devastated to discover her father as taken a new job in Japan. Although she is used to moving wherever his job takes them, she balks at leaving the country.

"I am so tired of having my entire world uprooted every time you get a promotion," says Holly.

She is scared by visions of sitting on a floor in a classroom and not understanding a word of Japanese. She decides that her saving grace is her older sister Valerie (Jennie Garth, "Beverly Hills, 90210"), who just rid herself of an annoying roommate and has an extra bedroom. Holly descends on her unsuspecting sister to convince her that they should be roommates.

"I have six days to prove to Val that I will be the most amazing roommate on the planet," says Holly.

Holly is amazing all right. Overnight, she up-ends Val's regimented life. Holly's attempt to rearrange Val's apartment is a disaster. So is her entrance at a party for a product endorsement by a major skateboarding star, which PR exec Valerie is coordinating.

Val, who is already stressed by her job and desire to move up in the world, is exasperated by what she perceives as Holly's irresponsible behavior.

"You're 16 years old," says Val. "Am I supposed to baby-sit you every second?"

Holly's antics are reminiscent of Lucille Ball on the classic "I Love Lucy" show. She always means well, but her enthusiasm and clumsiness are sometimes just a little too much.

Bynes, who replaced Melissa Joan Hart as Nickelodeon's sweetheart, will now act as the lead in for Hart's show "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."

Bynes and Hart offer a one-two punch for the network's comedy line-up on Friday. It should go without saying that Bynes will be the next star on the WB.

While Bynes and Garth interact nicely together, Garth needs to tone down her comic mania. It is readily apparent that the actress has spent most of her career in dramas. She tries to hard to get a laugh. Hopefully as the show goes on, she will learn from Bynes the fine art of comic timing.