When I joined The Huffington Post earlier this year to work with media editor Danny Shea and entertainment editor Katherine Thomson, this was my first assignment: an editorialized compilation of reviews pitting “Cashmere Mafia” against “Lipstick Jungle”. I had seen Cashmere’s pilot right before I put together the article, but hadn’t yet seen “Lipstick Jungle.” This is because (a) it hadn’t aired yet and (b) I was too busy watching “Gossip Girl.” Sad but true. Anyway, ever since GG went on hiatus, I needed something else to watch during my nightly dose of lasagna from the Italian take out place down the street. “Lipstick Jungle” worked perfectly. But, that is now. This was then:
Lipstick Jungle Reviews: Living in the Shadow of a Hit Series
With the official ‘Sex and the City’ movie coming out this May and two shows vying to claim its place on television, 2008 seems like the fabled year that SATC fans could stop watching re-runs. Or not. The trailers for movie are undeniably lame, and ‘Cashmere Mafia,’ the brain-child of SATC’s producer Darren Star, has been universally panned.
So ‘Lipstick Jungle,’ the new series premiering this Thursday on NBC, is the season’s last remaining hope. It’s major selling point is that it has Candace Bushnell fighting in its corner. The author of ‘Sex and the City’ was devastated when Star, whom she’d known for over 20 years, beat her to the punch with ‘Cashmere Mafia.’ Mafia’s been floundering for several weeks. Question is, will Lipstick join them at the bottom of the Hudson?
Salon.com’s Heather Havrilesky gives the show its most glowing review:
Lipstick Jungle” isn’t perfect, but the dialogue is sharp and funny, and for once, we’re given female characters who don’t sacrifice their dignity or personal power for the sake of another lovable, goofy story line that’s guaranteed not to intimidate female viewers. These women are making tough choices, they’re good friends to each other, and they feel fairly genuine in the show’s first two episodes. Here’s hoping the show’s producers will stick to their guns (even if their overbearing network bosses disagree) and stay committed to these unapologetically strong female characters.
