By DOUG STRASSLER

I have a pretty like-hate relationship with reality TV, but every now and then, a show sneaks and gets me good. Since I’ve already confessed to being a big Toni Braxton fan, it should come as little surprise that I’d be curious to see just what she’s up to these days, more than a decade since “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” her last major hit.

So imagine my surprise, and joy, when a couple of friends told me about the new WE network show, Braxton Family Values. (Whuddup, Deb and Joi!!) Between my curiosity and the fact that I hadn’t seen anything on WE except for Snapped, I figured it was time to tune in.

And you know what? The show is great! Not in a “best thing since Deadwood” sort of way, but also not in a “it’s crazy like Jersey Shore” kind of way either. Braxton actually shows a real family, though they may not be much like my own – and that’s why it’s such a worthwhile escapist treat.

Toni was a big deal when I grew up because she was a semi-local girl who made good. We both lived in the DC area – she in southern Maryland, me in northern Virginia. And as a result, I was inundated with news of her success, from her inclusion in the Boomerang soundtrack through the Grammy wins and image changes and marriage. But all I really knew about her was her.

Now I get the full family picture. Toni’s the oldest, and is followed by Traci, Trina, Towanda, and Tamar (though perhaps not in that exact order; I can’t quite tell), in addition to a son, Michael. The Braxton women have all sung together in various iterations from the time they were children. Traci is currently a background singer for Toni, while Towanda is her executive assistant. Tamar is a singer-actress looking to establish her own career outside of Toni’s shadow. Traci has made family her priority but hopes to one day return to the music scene.

This quintet live across the country in places like LA, Atlanta and Maryland, but spend an awful lot of time together. And when they do, it’s usually spent fabulously. They rent yachts, go to expensive clubs, on shopping sprees. They know how to live impressively as a group. And when they fight, usually over the small stuff, it’s hilarious.

But what’s more impressive is how strong their sisterly bond is. Yep, they quarrel, but they staged an intervention when Trina’s drinking resulted in a DUI. They are always there for each other through various marital woes. And when Toni dropped the bombshell that she suffers from lupus, there was no doubt that they were all there for her. (This show really does a marvelous job blending in levity with real-life serious stuff.) This is a family – and it also includes matriarch Evelyn – that cares deeply for, and is remarkably present, for each other.

Braxton also does something else which I find fascinating, which is to put us in the eye of the fame hurricane. Toni’s star has risen, fallen and is currently in a middling state of re-glow. She’s done the red carpet scene, the photo shoots, endured the dating rumors, and moved on. The show portrays her as a normal responsible woman with real-world concerns (a separation, her own health matters as well as that of her autism-afflicted son, bankruptcy). When her sisters want to go clubbing, she stays in her hotel room and places a decadent room service order. She admits to loving Target and T.J. Maxx over designer labels. Sure, she’ll don a wig and dress up, but Braxton makes clear that it’s a role she plays as a business decision. Without over-agonizing the point, the show depicts quite honestly how stardom isn’t fun and games; it’s work. US Weekly was right – stars really are just like us!

Of course, the highlight of most episodes is breakout reality personality Tamar, who usually stirs the pot and uses phrases like “Period,” “Point blank,” “Dot com,” and “Dot org” to punctuate the end of her sentences. It’s hysterical. I think she’s the Snooki of 2011. Definitely look for her to get her own reality spinoff.

I’d definitely recommend Braxton for some fun summer viewing. It’s a family worth being a member of. Period. Dot com.

Wishing everyone a good Judgment Day!