Lipstick Jungle (TV series)


Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler that aired on NBC from February 7, 2008 to January 9, 2009. The series produced by NBC Universal Television Studio. 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.

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. However, the show underwent significant changes 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. George had been personally cast by Bushnell, but left in early 2007 when she was offered the HBO series In Treatment.
The show premiered on February 7, 2008 as a mid-season replacement taking over ER spot at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central. The series was slated to have 13 episodes per season. However, 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 it was unclear if the remaining episodes would be aired in the current time slot. 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, it was announced the show was 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.
On February 25, 2009, the future of Lipstick Jungle was once again put in limbo when it was announced that Lindsay Price was cast in the pilot for ABC's new drama Eastwick. However, had Lipstick Jungle received an official third season pick-up from NBC, Price would have pulled out of Eastwick in order to fulfill her contractual obligation to Lipstick Jungle.
On March 28, 2009, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show was officially canceled.

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 is a fashion designer, Nico Reilly is the editor-in-chief of Bonfire Magazine, and Wendy Healy 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.

Cast and characters

Main characters

Season 1: 2008

Season 2: 2008-2009

Music

UK Ratings

Below is a table of ratings for UK digital channel Living, the network showing Lipstick Jungle.

Season 1

Season 1 of Lipstick Jungle began airing on September 22, 2008 on Mondays at 10 pm, following one of Living's most popular US imports 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.
#EpisodeAir DateTimeslotViewersWeekly Rank
for Living
1"Pilot"September 22, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm238,0004
2"Chapter Two: Nothing Sacred"September 29, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm139,0007
3"Chapter Three: Pink Poison"October 6, 2008Monday, 10:00 pmTBCTBC
4"Chapter Four: Bombay Highway"October 13, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm183,0005
5"Chapter Five: Dressed to Kill"October 20, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm214,0008
6"Chapter Six: Take the High Road"October 27, 2008Monday, 10:00 pmTBCTBC
7"Chapter Seven: Carpe Threesome"November 3, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm178,0006

Season 2

The second season of the show began airing immediately after the first run's seven episodes had finished.
#EpisodeAir DateTimeslotViewersWeekly Rank
for Living
1"Chapter Eight: Pandora's Box"November 10, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm217,0004
2"Chapter Nine: Help!"November 17, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm193,0004
3"Chapter Ten: Let It Be"November 24, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm142,0005
4"Chapter Eleven: The F-Word"December 1, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm196,0003
5"Chapter Twelve: Scary, Scary Night!"December 8, 2008Monday, 10:00 pmTBCTBC
6"Chapter Thirteen: The Lyin', The Bitch and The Wardrobe"December 15, 2008Monday, 10:00 pmTBCTBC
7"Chapter Fourteen: Let the Games Begin"December 22, 2008Monday, 10:00 pmTBCTBC
8"Chapter Fifteen: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Prada"December 29, 2008Monday, 10:00 pm178,0003
9"Chapter Sixteen: Thanksgiving"January 5, 2009Monday, 10:00 pm215,0008
10"Chapter Seventeen: Bye, bye baby"January 12, 2009Monday, 10:00 pm
11"Chapter Eighteen: Indecent Exposure"January 19, 2009Monday, 10:00 pm160,0007
12"Chapter Nineteen: Lovers' Leap"January 26, 2009Monday, 10:00 pm142,0009
13"Chapter Twenty: La Vie en Pose"February 2, 2009Monday, 10:00 pm

Home media

International distribution

The series was broadcast on Living in the UK, 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.
CountryTV NetworkSeries Premiere
AustraliaSeven NetworkJune 29, 2008/May 5, 2009
AustriaORF 1September 21, 2009
BrazilRede RecordDecember 8, 2010
United KingdomLiving TVSeptember 22, 2008
HungaryTV2 January 28, 2009
Hong KongStar WorldMay 30, 2009
IsraelYes Stars Drama2008
BulgariaNova TelevisionDecember 27, 2008
GermanyProSiebenSeptember 16, 2009
CanadaCosmopolitan TVOctober 3, 2009
GreeceAlter ChannelOctober 16, 2009
ItalyFox LifeFebruary, 2009
IrelandTG4October 6, 2008
LatviaTV3 Latvia, TV3+ LatviaJanuary 5, 2009
LithuaniaTV3December 29, 2008
MacedoniaSitelFebruary 8, 2012
The NetherlandsRTL 5September 22, 2008
New ZealandTV3October 21, 2008
PolandTVP1November 23, 2008
PortugalRTP2September 12, 2008
SloveniaPOP TVSeptember 8, 2008
SerbiaFox Life
Prva Plus		May 24, 2011
June 2, 2014
TurkeyDiziMaxJuly 31, 2008
ChileFox Latin America
Mega		June 22, 2008
December 2008
VenezuelaGlobovisiónSeptember 2, 2008
NorwayCanal +
TV3		September 27, 2008
August 3, 2009
SwedenTV 3
BrazilFox
Rede Record		August 25, 2008
January 7, 2010
FinlandMTV3January 13, 2009/August 25, 2009
SpainFox
Divinity		2008
2011
South AfricaSABC3
HungaryTV2February 3, 2009
Puerto RicoWKAQ-TV2009
EstoniaTV3January 16, 2009
MexicoFox Canal 52009, Present
RussiaDomashniyAugust 3, 2009
Czech RepublicTV PrimaJanuary 11, 2010
The Middle EastShowSeries 2009
IndonesiaTrans 72010
BelgiumVIJFtvNovember 13, 2010
SwitzerlandRSI La 2May 24, 2011
GeorgiaRustavi 2February 19, 2012
CroatiaRTL TelevizijaJuly 16, 2012