With the writer's strike continuing into the New Year and no end in sight, viewers must turn to the slew of new shows brought in by the networks. "Cashmere Mafia" is just one of many mid-season replacement shows airing on ABC.
"Cashmere Mafia" centers on four female friends who are all high-powered executives at assorted businesses in New York City. Think "Sex and the City" without the mature content, updated ten years and mixed with "Desperate Housewives." The women's careers take a central focus, while love and family seem to take a backseat role.
Lucy Liu plays the lead role as Mia Mason, a publisher, who is torn between succeeding at work and getting married. She is joined on-screen by her girlfriends, played by Frances O'Connor ("Bedazzled" (2000)), Miranda Otto ("Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers" (2002)) and Bonnie Somerville ("The OC"). The male roles thus far have been fairly minimal and unimportant.
O'Connor's character, Zoe Burden, is torn between her family and time-consuming job, while Juliet Draper (Otto) realizes that her husband's infidelities are starting to take a toll on her marriage. Somerville plays Caitlin Dowd, a woman who has recently started to question her sexuality after multiple failures with men.
Because ABC has only aired two episodes, it is difficult to say whether or not the show will be a success. Its numbers are good for now because of the time placement as well as the general lack of good shows to watch. The actresses are mostly well-known, Liu especially, so the show will at least not wallow in obscurity.
The stars are all decent actresses as well, although the chemistry between the four women does not seem to exist as perfectly and easily as it did with the group from "Sex and the City." The lunch scenes that these women have together are not only an idea stolen directly from "Sex and the City," but they also lack the chemistry that Sarah Jessica Parker and her co-stars had mastered.
While Liu is considered to be the biggest name on the show, Otto really shines in the role of ice-queen Draper who wants to break out of her predictable life. Somerville is not far behind with her quirky and cute personality. O'Connor's character is the least believable so far, or maybe she just has not been given anything exciting yet to work with from the writers.
The writing is average, as one would expect from a newly created television show with a fairly unoriginal concept, but the costumes and accessories worn by the women might be enough to bring in a regular audience. Being female executives probably earning salaries of six figures plus, it makes sense that the clothes, purses, shoes and jewelry would be top-notch.
Though it is still too early to determine whether the show will fail, "Cashmere Mafia" certainly has the potential to succeed, considering that many television shows start off looking average and only improve over time. Some believe that a superior first season can leave a show with nowhere to go but down, so it might be worthwhile to follow this one at least for a little while as it grows.
The target demographic of this show is most likely women aged anywhere from 18 to mid-50s since, unsurprisingly, the content of the show probably does not appeal to most men. For those who miss "Sex and the City," this show is not a perfect stand-in, but it is enough to partially fill the void.
