Lipstick Jungle Debuts on NBC
New NBC Primetime Drama Marks the Return of Brooke Shields
Based on the novel by Candace Bushnell, "Lipstick Jungle" is a watered-down version of the spicier and more entertaining "Sex and the City."
NBC obviously is hoping that Candace Bushnell can work her literary magic a second time with “Lipstick Jungle,” a mid-season replacement that's based on one of Bushnell’s novels.
This series is supposed to generate as much sexual energy as “Sex and the City,” but after downloading a free preview of the pilot via Amazon’s Unbox, it's clear that it has about as much juice as a depleted Duracell battery.
Brooke Shields Adds Star Power to “Lipstick Jungle”
After a successful run on the late 1990s sitcom “Suddenly Susan,” Brooke Shields returns to episodic television as Wendy Healy, a movie studio executive who juggles motherhood and a career. Her husband has issues, though, with her bringing home more of the bacon than he does.
Wendy’s close-knit circle of friends includes Victory Ford (Lindsay Price from “Beverly Hills 90210”), a high-profile fashion designer whose career is on the skids after she debuts a new clothing line during Fashion Week at Bryant Park. The media rips her new designs to shreds, reducing Victory to tears.
Wendy and Victory hang out with Nico Reilly (Kim Raver from “24”), the editor-in-chief at a New York entertainment/fashion magazine. Nico desperately wants the position of Creative Director at the magazine, but she keeps bouncing off the Glass Ceiling and constantly stumbles over the “Old Boy Network.”
Men Have Power in the “Lipstick Jungle”
For a show that’s supposed to be about tough, powerful women, men still wield an enormous amount of power in this so-called “Lipstick Jungle.” A pretty boy at a magazine event, for instance, wraps the very-married Nico around his little finger with just a few words and a magic marker.
Victory also attracts the attention of Joe Bennett (former Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy), a man who says that he makes somewhere around $5,000 per minute. Bennett is so arrogant and self-assured that he has his secretary call Victory to make a date for him and then spends most of the evening with her talking on his cell phone.
The Bottom Line: This “Lipstick” is a Bit Crooked
When it comes to relationships, “Lipstick Jungle” delivers a very mixed message, especially when three women near the top of their profession can be reduced to quivering masses after a little male attention.
“Sex and the City,” which also was based on the writings of Candace Bushnell, was a sharp, edgy HBO original series. This adaptation of Bushnell’s “Lipstick Jungle” lacks the fire and zest of the earlier series, however, even with Bushnell on board as one of the Executive Producers.
In interviews, Bushnell has said that Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character on “Sex and the City,” is her alter ego. When it comes to her “Lipstick Jungle” creations, Carrie Bradshaw could easily mop the floor with Wendy, Victory and Nico. In this jungle, they are kittens trying to run with tigers.
Lipstick Jungle debuts on NBC on Thursday, February 7 at 10 p.m. EST
