NBC's upcoming series, Lipstick Jungle, is based on the eponymous novel written by Candace Bushnell, the same person behind the Sex and the City book, which HBO adapted and turned into a television hit.  Actor Andrew McCarthy knows a comparison between the two series is inevitable, but believes the newer show has something different to offer viewers.

"I was a big fan of Sex and the City, but [Lipstick Jungle] is different,” McCarthy told the New York Daily News.  “It's a different book, and the tone is different and there is a real regard for women that I find really attractive ...[but] the Sex and the City reference I think is inevitable because of Candace.  She created them both, but it is a different beast."

Lipstick Jungle is a dramedy that follows three successful women – Nico (Kim Raver), Wendy (Brooke Shields) and Victory (Lindsay Price) – as they go through the ups and downs of life.  When asked how he feels about playing a man who is living in a woman's world, Andrew McCarthy, who plays rich man Joe Bennett, said he doesn't mind.

"I've always felt that way," he told the New York Daily News.  "And I have no problem with it."

The show was able to complete seven scripts, including the pilot, before the writers' strike began in November.  McCarthy and the others are just finishing up filming those episodes now because Raver had to go on a brief break due to her pregnancy.

"I always find shooting in New York a breeze," Andrew McCarthy said.  "I think it's a nightmare for the production people trying to keep traffic and everything at bay, but for the acting part, it's easy because you just sort of let New York take over."

Lipstick Jungle is premiering on NBC on Thursday, February 7, and although McCarthy is uncertain of how the strike has affected people's viewing habits, he has a lot of confidence in his new show.

"It's a funny time in television," he said.  "I don't know if people are watching or not watching or what their attitude toward television is at the moment, but this is a good show.  It's intelligent and sophisticated and has respect for its characters.  It's one of those shows you have to lean into because it's not going to beat you over the head, and I like that aspect of it. It's a good watch."


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: New York Daily News
(Image Courtesy of NBC)