Courtesy photoA famous yet struggling fashion designer, a high-profile movie producer, and an esteemed editor make up the cast of characters on NBC’s new show “Lipstick Jungle,” but the only thing that makes this show sizzle is the sex.
The show, which premiered Feb. 7 at 9 p.m., is slotted at the same time Thursday nights as ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia,” which took over the “E.R.” spot. Yet, it seems unlikely that the show’s depth and chemistry among its characters will be able to stand up next to “Cashmere Mafia,” a show that is relatively the same in terms of characters and plotlines.
“Lipstick Jungle” is based on the book of the same name written by Candace Bushnell, the author of “Sex and the City.” These two shows mirror each other in terms of roles – the three women characters, like the four well-known and beloved “Sex and the City” gals, hold high-powered jobs, live in New York City and struggle with their careers, friendships and relationships with men.
However, the acting in “Sex and the City” seemed unrehearsed, and the friendship between the women seemed normal, relative and believable.
“Lipstick Jungle,” on the other hand, has both predictable and unrealistic plotlines with awkward performances.
The three main characters portray the typical, high-powered, career-driven women who rule high society. Although each of the women have achieved different levels of success, they struggle to keep up with their workloads while juggling their personal lives.
Each of the women have personal flaws, but the most exciting character flaw exudes from the married Nico, played by Kim Raver, who meets Kirby Atwood (Robert Buckley) at one of the parties her magazine hosts. For the “Sex and the City”-obsessed, this is a Jared Smith-Samantha scenario. (Translation: HOT, young, 20-something man seduces sexy-yet-older career-driven woman.)
When Kirby entered his first scene in episode one, the show improved greatly. The show should have been all about him. Nico met him at a party, where she was captivated by him and escaped to the lady’s room. But Nico didn’t get away, as Kirby followed her to the bathroom and pushed her up against the sink, kissed her and, as he lifted up her pant leg upon leaving, writes his number with black, permanent marker on her leg.
Nico struggled with the decision to call and meet with him, but she finally met him at his apartment for an afternoon delight. That’s when it gets hot (yes, pantyhose-ripping hot). The saga continued in the second episode.
Although the sex scenes are not as graphic as those in “Sex and the City,” they are still enjoyable with Kirby in them. It is only when there are no lines that the show is truly extraordinary.
Other than the hot sex scenes, the show exudes a shallow plotline as characters deal with their jobs and personal lives.
Wendy is a studio producer played by Brooke Shields, who in the first episode tried to get Leonardo DiCaprio to sign on for a movie. In what is supposed to be a poignant climax, Wendy finally got him to sign, while co-workers gathered around her and anxiously awaited his reply. Last week, she battled a former nanny who wanted to ruin her career with a scandalous book dishing on Wendy’s bad parenting.
Shields’ role in the show is despicable, and as the plotline transpires throughout the hour-long slot, the show seems more and more fake. She not only looks bad on camera, but she cannot act along with the other characters.
There are also various cheese factors in the show. Lindsey Price plays fashion designer Victoria Ford, whose career is declining after a recent fashion show. On a trip to Tokyo, she has a horrible meeting with the company financing her line. In a dramatic phone call to her “bazillionaire,” he saves the day as he sends a jet to pick her up and bring her back to New York, where he meets her with his limo to sweep her off her feet.
All in all, this show sums up in one sentence: three middle-aged women competing in a professional world while simultaneously struggling with their lives and finding validation in the men that surround them.