Pamela Anderson (AP file photo)

Pamela Anderson's new TV series is not a reality show. It's an "observational documentary."

Just like her sex tape.

Anti-reality declarations notwithstanding, the Canadian blond bombshell's latest endeavour, an eight-part series titled Pam: Girl on the Loose, is a fairly standard entry in the celeb-reality sweepstakes. It debuts Tuesday on E!.

What makes Pam: Girl on the Loose different are the notable instances when Anderson is walking around 90% naked. Well, she's really 100% naked, but we see 90% in this forum. It's a documentary, after all.

"Some people are afraid to be filmed -- I think I'm afraid of not being filmed," Anderson says in a moment of bare insight.

Many other celebrities have shows like this, but not all of them would look good 90% nude. That's Pam's natural -- or, shall we say, augmented -- advantage.

Nonetheless, Pam is trying to show another side of herself with this series. The problem is, the side she wants to show isn't all that interesting.

Early in the debut episode of Pam: Girl on the Loose, Anderson makes several declarations. Among them: "This is not a reality show," and as evidence, Anderson adds, "You will not see the kids ... you may see their feet."

Personally speaking, we have no interest in seeing Anderson's kids. But the problem in this case is that Anderson goes on and on about how she values being a mother, and how important her children are in her life.

So if we aren't going to see how the most famous sex symbol of the past 20 years interacts with her kids, then exactly what do we see in Pam: Girl on the Loose?

Well, in the first episode the big issues are: Will Pam get to Las Vegas in time for the Elton John concert (cue ominous music)? And will Pam's estate sale go off without a hitch (cue more ominous music)?

Like, who cares?

The dull bits notwithstanding, there are two memorable moments in the opening episode of Pam: Girl on the Loose. One is quite amusing, while the other is so disturbing that it may haunt us for a while.

The first memorable moment comes when Pam's mom is informed that Pam is going to live with her on-again, off-again paramour Tommy Lee of Motley Crue for a few weeks, while Pam is "between homes," as it were. The stony silence from Pam's mom is priceless.

The second memorable moment comes during a party in Las Vegas, when Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who is approximately one billion years old, creepily reaches for Pam's breasts. Hef, you old coot, for the love of God, have you not one ounce of dignity left?

Overall, Pam: Girl on the Loose is fairly dull. What saves it from being completely dull is that it's Pam Anderson, and her presence gives the proceedings a certain low-level watchability.

Maybe that's the key difference between an observational documentary and just another reality show.