DALLAS, May 4, 2009 / FW/ — With NBC unveiling its fall lineup today, Lipstick Jungle, a show that was already teetering on being canceled even before its second season ended was decidedly missing. And though the reason for its cancelation was very understandable (low ratings), it is still sad to see a show about mature women go.
Maybe, the show is “too real” for viewers to see it as a work of fiction. After all, news headlines and Page Six are full of stories about famous people having problems with their children, older women dating much younger men and multi-millionaires losing it all in the stock market or a Ponzi scheme.
That the characters in Lipstick Jungle are fabulous looking women albeit more mature and already at the height of their careers do not mean that they do not have struggles and obstacles in their daily lives. But, I guess that’s exactly how we view “older” people, be it male or female.
Once you reach a certain age or a certain stature, to people, “you have made it,” so why worry? What is the drama in your life? You have a career; you’re on top of the food chain, wear expensive clothes and attend fabulous parties.
To viewers, Wendy, Nico and Victory, played by Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price are just that. And yes, they have problems and struggles but they are not victims. Rather, they fight back and find solutions.
Perhaps, Lipstick Jungle is too mature for network television. Maybe it should have been on cable. After all, Sex & the City was very successful on HBO. And currently, Damages a mature drama about lawyers is garnering kudos from critics by winning awards and from the audiences who tuned in every Wednesday during the season.
No matter how I look at it, Lipstick Jungle is gone forever. Hence, I would like to use this to thank the cast and crew for a job well done. Hopefully, I will see your names on the marquee of a film or a television show soon.
