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ABC’s Mistresses Missed It By A Mile
By Rachel Cantrell, Editorial Intern at Movieguide®
“Even happily married people have attractions without it leading anywhere” Joss to Savi, “Mistresses” Season 1. Except on “Mistresses,” ABC’s new “Desperate Housewives”-esc drama, it typically does lead somewhere. The show is an Americanized version of a British sitcom created by SJ Clarkson (director of “Heroes,” “Dexter,” “Ugly Betty,” “House”) that ran from 2008-10. The Lifetime Network tried to pick the show up in 2008 but ended up scrapping it. Looks like ABC was rifling through the garbage for this year’s “Desperate Housewives” lookalike. Sadly, this probably would have been better left in the disposal.
KJ Steinberg (producer and writer of “Gossip Girl”) spearheaded the American project, producing and writing a lot of it. “Mistresses” chronicles the lives of four friends, Savi (played by Alyssa Milano), April (played by Rochelle Aytes ), Karen (played by Yunjin Kin), and Joss (played by Jes Macallan), as they each are affected in some way by infidelity. Two of them are indeed mistresses, one cheats on her husband, and the other was cheated on by her husband and must deal with his mistress and her young son.
In their world, one filled with lies and relative right and wrong, there is a sole value that is held above all things: your friends come first. This is the primary condition for every drama geared towards women 18-45 (think “DH,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” etc.) Your girls are number one. Period. In “Mistresses” each woman acts as the other’s moral compass, and they look to each other to determine the correctness of an action. This is troubling when your friends are telling you to hide your infidelity from your husband, get out of a committed relationship because it is going through hard times, let go of your “traditional conservative values that never bring you any happiness,” all things that make situations worse instead of better.
While the show doesn’t necessarily glorify infidelity (the audience sees instantly that the women are not happy in their choices), it doesn’t promote Christian or family values either. Actually, mostly all you see are unhappy women being unhappy and making choices that further that dreary state of being. For example, Joss is supposed to be the comic relief of the show, showing how much fun it is sleeping with a multitude of people. Yet from episode one, she is shown to be dissatisfied with her current state of life. It’s fine to have an episode, or a story arc, that deals with sadness, but when the first 6 episodes of a 13 episode season are 80% misery it can be quite the downer. This has to do mainly with the writing of the show, but it also has to do with the whole theme of it. It’s great that you don’t want to glorify mistresses, but if you still want a whole series built around them, there is pretty much a guarantee that the show will be a sad time for all. Was it marketed as such? Of course not! It was marketed on trailers as the scandalous sex-filled path of four friends who stick together “through it all,” and in writing as “A provocative yet sophisticated drama about four women and their love lives, their sex lives, their secrets, their lies, and above all, their friendship.” But, it doesn’t deliver. The show is provocative only in the sense that very little is left to the imagination during the many sex scenes, and sophisticated only in regards to Alyssa Milano’s bun. So those who watch it for the steamy ‘beach-read’ TV show are disappointed, and the ones who wouldn’t be watching it due to its premise never see the slim silver lining in the story. Even if one were to watch it not caring about either side, its mediocre writing and predictable story line aren’t entertaining. It’s a lose-lose for the audience and for “Mistresses,” which has had no more than 5.5 million viewers each episode. Compare that to “Desperate Housewives,” which had an average of 23 million viewers during season one, and it looks as if “Mistresses” and ABC will be breaking up soon.
Hopefully this flop will show ABC and the other major TV stations that their viewers are looking for more out of their evening entertainment. How about a show that inspires us to live life well? That gives us a model for living excellently? One that would connect generations and that a mother could watch with her daughter without feeling all sorts of awkwardness. How about something that would inspire femininity that isn’t reliant on how often or with how many different people with whom you are currently sleeping? One that models a good marriage as a partnership that truly sticks together ‘for better and for worse.’ Make that the standard again! Make infidelity as unfashionable as sandals with socks or a fanny pack worn without irony. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to go into a primetime show with a bulletproof vest over your soul? Let’s support those types of shows and leave “Mistresses” and the like to the landfill.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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