Think of it as Desperate Housewives meets the Cashmere Mafia—Hollywood style.
Fans who tuned in last year for Fried Green Tomatoes director Jon Avnet’s popular miniseries based on the bestselling chick-lit novel by Hollywood insider Georgianne Levangie Grazer (wife of producer Brian Grazer), will be delighted to discover that The Starter Wife is back to prove once again how much life there is after wife. Nominated for seven Emmys and garnering one for its brilliant supporting player Judy Davis (in one of her wittiest turns since Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives), the true saving grace of the admittedly superficial guilty pleasure is Grace herself. Of course, I’m talking about Debra Messing, who reminds us once again why we all fell in love with Grace Adler on NBC’s smash hit Will and Grace.
A versatile comedian, Messing is alternately sexy and funny and always willing to make a fool out of herself for a laugh. In Starter, she plays Molly Kagan, the ex-wife of a prominent Hollywood player who she mothered, loved, and partnered with to such an extent that even after he left her for a Britney Spears-like pop princess in the miniseries, she continues to look after him along with her seven-year-old daughter, Jaden.
Bright, silly fun that’s as breezy and addictive as a beach read—although I’d highly recommend Avnet’s original miniseries to get the full background, fortunately USA Network brings viewers up to speed with a recap narrated by Messing that runs roughly ninety seconds (additionally more videos are available here).
The Recap
The Series Preview
Having been virtually blacklisted and shunned by the community of wealth and silicone, Molly makes a decision early on in the delightful first episode to swear off men in “The Forty Year-Old Virgin Queen.” And especially as her ex-husband’s latest Hollywood blockbuster continues to die in test screenings, she start trying to carve out a living for herself.
Instead of the traditional Hollywood wife eight a.m. school drop-off where women are exquisitely attired in Dolce, Jacobs, or Chanel in order to essentially pitch themselves like a spec project to a room full of execs, we encounter Molly readying herself “to face the day in machine-washable clothes” as a crossing guard at her daughter’s ridiculously expensive private school. Although young Jaden pleas for a Blackberry since all the other elementary school kids have one, she tries to navigate her life living in such a surreal town by keeping herself grounded with a diary (where she works out her feelings on such crazy events) along with her two best friends, Rodney (Chris Diamantopoulos) and Joan (Judy Davis).
Article comments
1 - HollywoodFan83
Can't WAIT for this to begin! I absolutely love the "wife goes on" theme of this story. My mother was a single mom who only began to hit her stride AFTER her divorce. I love that there is a series showing women life can always start anew!
2 - Brando
OK. In June of last year I went to jail for the first time in my life. I will be saying for my mistake for a long time. The jail food was horrible and the conditions were cramped. The worst part of jail was the 6 hour marathon of The Starter Wife while I was being processed into the jail. This was Cruel And Unusual punishment that I wish upon no one. Jail and the consequences will stay with me for a while, but The Starter Wife scarred me for a lifetime. So everyone stay out of trouble, or you might catch the next marathon.