TNT’s new series Trust Me premiers Monday. The series is about two present day advertising executives and was created by The Closer exec producers Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny. Bladwin and Coveny were ad men in a past life. According to an article in the New York Times, the series will be filled with fake ads for real products.

actual products are being written into the scripts of episodes — including some, like the Dove line of hair care products sold by Unilever, that are also sponsors of the series.

But not just real product:

There will even be a cameo appearance in a coming episode of “Trust Me” for a real-life brand manager for Dove hair care, Judy Pomerantz, and an online game where viewers can pretend to be creative directors for Dove.

Last night I had a conversation with two people who refuse to pay for cable television. “I’m not paying for advertising,” they both informed me independently. They feel if you have to pay for tv, you shouldn’t be subjected to ads. If you’re getting ads, you shouldn’t have to pay to watch the shows (“same thing goes for movies”). In other words, they feel it’s double dipping. So how are they going to feel about this?

But it is interesting to see the business model de jour for original scripted web content infiltrating TV to this extent. God knows ad execs, brand managers and series creators have to forge a way to work together. We’ve seen some product integration on series like 30 Rock and they’ve done it in a very funny way. And of course, I love seeing what Don Draper comes up with for his clients on Mad Men.

On the other hand, if the product integration is clumsily handled, doesn’t have thematic resonance or plain out feels like an ad, then the endeavour is destined for failure.

One other thing might doom this project, that’s if it’s not a good show. Because in order for the audience to sit through the fictional advertising of the actual products, we need to like the show. And even though I’m a huge fan of what TNT has come up with lately, including Leverage and Saving Grace and despite the considerable charms of stars Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh, the pilot of Trust Me that I saw was fairly clunky. But I’m willing to watch a few more episodes before pronouncing judgment.