In an announcement that took pretty much no one aback at the recently wrapped TV Critics Association winter press tour, FOX says it's working on a second edition of "The Simple Life."

The only surprise, really, was that Gail Berman, president of FOX Entertainment, didn't have a premiere date in hand when she addressed critics Friday (Jan. 16).

"We're talking about a couple of different ideas now with the producers, Bunim-Murray," Berman says. "I think we'll come up with a new plan shortly."

The formula -- rich girls Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are sent, sans gold cards, somewhere far removed from their New York/Beverly Hills comfort zones to see how the other 99 percent lives -- will remain pretty much the same, Berman says. The show's producers haven't settled on a new location; the first time through, Hilton and Richie spent a month with a family in rural Arkansas.

A second go-round for the show is close to a no-brainer for FOX. After the network stumbled out of the gate with duds like "Skin" and "The Next Joe Millionaire," "The Simple Life" provided a ratings boost. The show averaged about 10.4 million viewers a week and regularly won its time period among the younger viewers FOX targets.

FOX also used repeats and "bonus" episodes to fill holes in its lineup throughout December.