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Lipstick Jungle

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Based on the novel of the same name by Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell, Lipstick Jungle follows the lives of three high-flying New York women. Unlike its wildly popular predecessor, Lipstick Jungle's trio is slightly older and more focused on battling against monotony and discord while balancing long-term relationships with established careers.

This episode explores the widening cracks in the otherwise highly polished facades of each of the characters. Wendy (Brooke Shields) is preoccupied with organising an extravagant movie premiere that threatens to dwarf the film itself. In an effort to help reinvigorate Victoria's (Lindsay Price) fashion career, Wendy asks her to design a gown for the film's star. In the mad panic that ensues, Victoria finds herself losing creative control of the gown and babysitting the starlet, who's doing her best to drown her sorrows after a bad break-up.

Meanwhile, Nico's (Kim Raver) career and marriage are under threat when her young fling files a sexual harassment claim against her.

Lipstick Jungle is clearly still finding its feet in a market that is now saturated with female-targeted dramas. While the characters are a little cold and the show certainly lacks the quirky humour of Sex and the City, if Lipstick Jungle manages to stand outside its successor's sizable shadow it could find loyal viewers who prefer the traditional soap opera format.

Lipstick Jungle airs on the Seven Network on Sunday, July 20, at 9:30pm.

Julia Gardiner, July 2008