Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series developed by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler that aired on NBC from February 7, 2008, to January 9, 2009. The series was produced by NBC Universal Television Studio (now Universal Media Studios). The hour-long series was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who also served as executive producer alongside showrunner/head writer Oliver Goldstick. The pilot was directed by Gary Winick. The Futon Critic
Plot
Lipstick Jungle is a dramedy following the professional and personal lives of three best friends, all of whom are top professionals in their respective careers. Victory Ford (Lindsay Price) is a fashion designer, Nico Reilly (Kim Raver) is the editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine, and Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields) is the former president of Parador Pictures, currently producing independently. These three powerful women are always there to support one another and navigate the crazy, romantic, and sometimes scary world that is New York City.
Production The cast initially included Gina Gershon as Wendy Healy, Melissa George as Nico Reilly, Will Toale as Shane Healy, and Robert Buckley as Kirby Atwood, with Matthew Morrison, Scott Cohen, and Edward Herrmann also attached. The show underwent significant changes, though, with all the aforementioned cast being replaced and with executive producers DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler, writers Rand Ravich and Jill Gordon, and director Nigel Cole all fired. Melissa George had been personally cast by Bushnell, but left in early 2007 when she was offered the HBO series In Treatment (she was replaced by Kim Raver).
The show premiered on February 7, 2008. as a midseason replacement taking over ER spot at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central. The series was slated to have 13 episodes per season, but due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, only seven episodes were originally produced for the first season. The first season also competed indirectly with ABC's Cashmere Mafia, created by Bushnell's former creative partner from Sex and the City, Darren Star.
On February 24, 2008, NBC ordered six additional scripts of Lipstick Jungle. On April 2, 2008, NBC renewed Lipstick Jungle for a second season when they announced their fall 2008 lineup. The second season premiered on September 24, airing at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central on Wednesdays. One month later, NBC announced that Lipstick Jungle would move to Fridays at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central effective October 31, 2008.
On November 13, 2008, rumors emerged that NBC would cancel the show due to low ratings, but whether the remaining episodes would be aired in the current time slot was unclear."Lipstick Jungle: NBC Cancels Brooke Shields TV Show, No Season Three", tvseriesfinale.com On November 21, 2008, NBC moved Lipstick Jungle to Fridays at an hour earlier, 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central beginning December 5, for the remainder of the season.
On January 9, 2009, the last produced episode of Lipstick Jungle aired, and it was advertised as the season finale. On January 15, 2009, the show was announced as not yet canceled, and could be brought back for episodes based on how the new pilots were received. On January 27, 2009, NBC announced that the show would get the "Friday Night Lights treatment", implying that the show will return on another of NBC Universal's networks for a third season and then replay on NBC midseason."Lipstick Jungle" May Get "Friday Night Lights" Treatment, Broadcasting & Cable, January 27, 2009
On February 25, 2009, the future of Lipstick Jungle was once again put in limbo when NBC announced that Lindsay Price was cast in the pilot for ABC's new drama Eastwick. Had Lipstick Jungle received an official third-season pick-up from NBC, though, Price would have pulled out of Eastwick to fulfill her contractual obligation to Lipstick Jungle. On March 28, 2009, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show was officially canceled.
Cast and characters
Main Brooke Shields as Wendy Healy Kim Raver as Nico Reilly Lindsay Price as Victory Ford Paul Blackthorne as Shane Healy Andrew McCarthy as Joe Bennett Robert Buckley as Kirby Atwood (season 2; recurring season 1)
Recurring Lorraine Bracco as Janice Lasher (season 1) David Noroña as Salvador Rosie Perez as Dahlia Morales (season 2) David Alan Basche as Mike Harness Mary Tyler Moore as Joyce Connor (season 2) Matt Lauria as Roy Merritt James Lesure as Griffin Bell (season 2) Vanessa Marcil as Josie Scotto (season 2) Sarah Hyland as Maddie Healy Carlos Ponce as Rodrigo Vega (season 2) Julian Sands as Hector Matrick (season 1)
Episodes
Season 1 (2008)
Season 2 (2008–09)
UK ratings Below is a table of ratings for UK digital channel Living, the network showing Lipstick Jungle.
Season one Season one of Lipstick Jungle began airing on September 22, 2008, on Mondays at 10 pm, following one of Living's most popular US acquisitions America's Next Top Model. The network soon brought in a name for their Monday night schedule, 'I Heart NY Mondays', as both shows are set in New York.
+ Weekly ratings # Episode Air date Time slot Viewers Weekly Rankfor Living 1 "Pilot" September 22, 2008 Monday, 10:00 pm 238,000 4 2 "Chapter Two: Nothing Sacred" September 29, 2008 139,000 7 3 "Chapter Three: Pink Poison" October 6, 2008 TBC TBC 4 "Chapter Four: Bombay Highway" October 13, 2008 183,000 5 5 "Chapter Five: Dressed to Kill" October 20, 2008 214,000 8 6 "Chapter Six: Take the High Road" October 27, 2008 TBC TBC 7 "Chapter Seven: Carpe Threesome" November 3, 2008 178,000 6
Season two The second season of the show began airing immediately after the first run's seven episodes had finished.
+ Weekly ratings # Episode Air Date Timeslot Viewers Weekly Rankfor Living 1 "Chapter Eight: Pandora's Box" November 10, 2008 Monday, 10:00 pm 217,000 4 2 "Chapter Nine: Help!" November 17, 2008 193,000 4 3 "Chapter Ten: Let It Be" November 24, 2008 142,000 5 4 "Chapter Eleven: The F-Word" December 1, 2008 196,000 3 5 "Chapter Twelve: Scary, Scary Night!" December 8, 2008 TBC TBC 6 "Chapter Thirteen: The Lyin', The Bitch and The Wardrobe" December 15, 2008 TBC TBC 7 "Chapter Fourteen: Let the Games Begin" December 22, 2008 TBC TBC 8 "Chapter Fifteen: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Prada" December 29, 2008 178,000 3 9 "Chapter Sixteen: Thanksgiving" January 5, 2009 215,000 8 10 "Chapter Seventeen: Bye, bye baby" January 12, 2009 11 "Chapter Eighteen: Indecent Exposure" January 19, 2009 160,000 7 12 "Chapter Nineteen: Lovers' Leap" January 26, 2009 142,000 9 13 "Chapter Twenty: La Vie en Pose" February 2, 2009
Home media TitleRegion 1Region 2Region 4Season oneMay 27, 2008December 26, 2008Lipstick Jungle Series 1 (Region 2). Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2012-05-26.September 17, 2008Lipstick Jungle Season 1 (Region 3) See Product DetailsSeason twoMay 5, 2009Lipstick Jungle: Season Two: Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Andrew McCarthy, Lindsay Price, Robert Buckley, Paul Blackthorne: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-26.June 29, 2009Lipstick Jungle Season 2 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2012-05-26. –Complete –October 13, 2011Amazon.deSeptember 30, 2009
International distribution The series was broadcast on Living in the UK,C21Media: TG4 in the Republic of Ireland, Domashniy in Russia, and 7 Network in Australia. CTV Television Network aired the show in Canada, and broadcast by TV3 in New Zealand.TV3's 2008 Season Launch | TV3|News . Throng (October 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2012-05-26.
CountryTV network(s)Series premiereSeven Network June 29, 2008/May 5, 2009 (Season 2)ORF 1September 21, 2009Rede Record December 8, 2010Living TV September 22, 2008TV2 (Hungary) January 28, 2009Star World May 30, 2009Yes Stars Drama 2008 Nova Television December 27, 2008 ProSieben September 16, 2009 Cosmopolitan TV October 3, 2009 Alter Channel October 16, 2009 Fox Life February, 2009TG4 October 6, 2008 TV3 Latvia, TV3+ Latvia January 5, 2009 TV3 December 29, 2008 (Both seasons) Sitel February 8, 2012RTL 5 September 22, 2008TV3 October 21, 2008TVP1 November 23, 2008RTP2 September 12, 2008POP TV September 8, 2008 Fox LifePrva Plus May 24, 2011June 2, 2014DiziMax July 31, 2008Fox Latin AmericaMega June 22, 2008December 2008GlobovisiónSeptember 2, 2008Canal +TV3 September 27, 2008August 3, 2009TV 3 FoxRede Record August 25, 2008January 7, 2010MTV3 January 13, 2009/August 25, 2009 (Season 2)FoxDivinity 20082011SABC3 TV2 February 3, 2009WKAQ-TV 2009TV3 January 16, 2009Fox Canal 5 2009, PresentDomashniy August 3, 2009TV Prima January 11, 2010The Middle East ShowSeries (part of Showtime Arabia Cable Network) 2009Trans 7 2010VIJFtv November 13, 2010RSI La 2 May 24, 2011Rustavi 2 February 19, 2012RTL Televizija July 16, 2012 (Both seasons)
References
External links