Sex and the City Spin-offs: Delicious or Dimwitted?

In the wake of the wildly popular cable television show, Sex and the City, spin-off dramas are now making their way to primetime. But do these "Sex" wannabes have the stamina to make it through the first season?

The first to hit the air waves this January was Cashmere Mafia, an ABC drama of four friends who are lucky in business but unlucky in love. Through their struggles, these best friends support each other and manage to do just fine in the Big Apple. Sound familiar? Think Desperate Housewives meets Sex and the City. Mia, played by Lucy Liu, is the central character. She has the quirky turn-of-phrase honesty reminiscent of Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie. Meet Zoe, a la Frances O'Connor, who juggles motherhood, being a good wife and her business with surprising flair. (Think Charlotte's naivety with Lynette's drive.) Then there is the striking, flawless redheaded ice queen. No, not Bree Hodge, this is Miranda Otto's character, Juliet. Her perfect family façade slips thanks to her husband's infidelity and her goal is revenge. Last, you have Caitlin, a cosmetic executive who begins to dabble in lesbianism. She has the sexual prowess of Samantha but the grace of Susan.

So what makes Cashmere stand out from the inevitable comparisons? Not a whole lot. The story takes four college-educated, career driven women through the "man's" work world, the "woman's" domain at home, and comes to the conclusion that if you can't depend on your best girlfriends, then you have no one.

The second spin-off in the works is the much-touted NBC drama, Lipstick Jungle. With the backing of Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City, the association to "Sex" is expected. This series is also said to be based directly on the book, although the characters are different. Again, the premise sounds familiar: three best friends, who happen to be the most powerful women in New York City, help one another navigate life, love and loss. Brooke Shields plays powerhouse movie executive, Wendy, who attempts to balance career and family and have it all. Kim Raver (of 24 fame), portrays Nico who is the editor-in-chief of a trendy fashion magazine. With a neglectful husband at home, Nico looks for love in all the wrong places. Victory, the free-spirited designer is working on restoring her career after a disastrous review. Victory is played by former Beverly Hills 90210 actress, Lindsay Price.

Déjà vu? I think so.

My question remains this: What has happened to creativity? The general theme in all these shows, be it Desperate Housewives, Cashmere Mafia, Sex and the City, or Lipstick Jungle, is the same: Strong, powerful women, lucky in business and with best girlfriends, unlucky in love.

I'm off to watch reruns of Arrested Development now...

Sources:

http://www.nbc.com/Lipstick_Jungle/about/index.shtml

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938567/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410975/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159206/