Cashmere Mafia: Love it or Hate it?

Have you seen this show? I have, and I can’t decide if I like it or not. Here’s the premise if you’re not familiar with it. It’s about four working women who have been friends since they met in business school. Now they’re all living in New York City. Each of them have very high-powered, executive-type positions. Mia (Lucy Liu) has just become president of some publishing company. Juliet (Miranda Otto) is the COO of a major hotel chain. Zoe (Frances O’Connor) works as an investment banker. And Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) is a top marketing executive for a cosmetics company.

Both Juliet and Zoe are married. Juliet has a 14-year old daughter with her husband, Davis. She chooses to ignore the fact that Davis has affairs while he’s away on business trips because, as she tells her Cashmere Mafia pack, “Look at what a man gives up to be with one of us. We make more money, we rise higher… blah, blah, blah…” She rather put up with it than become a single mother. However, when Juliet finds out Davis is sleeping with a woman she knows in NYC, it’s time to get even. And she decides to get revenge by having an affair herself. By the third episode, she decides not to go through with it.

Zoe has two younger, school-age children with her work-at-home architect husband, Eric. In the show’s premiere she needs to replace a nanny that was lured away by the neighbors. And in the second show they give her a “mommy war” type storyline. Zoe feels “the guilt” when a giddy SAHM in a velour tracksuit gets to go on the children’s fieldtrip, and she doesn’t. Oh, and the SAHM hits on Eric, Zoe’s husband. I guess since the SAHM’s hubby works all the time she’s lonely ya know. Anyway, Zoe gets back at the SAHM by renting a huge sightseeing tour bus so all the parents can go along. Must be nice to have that kind of money.

So when I first saw the show I was slightly annoyed. But, I’m not sure of the reason why? Maybe it’s because how likely all these women are so successful? That must have been some business school! Or maybe because I think the writers and producers are obviously feeding into the working women/mommy war controversy? Something that I rather not watch for myself, because we live it every day. As Sara mentioned to me before she doesn’t like to read or watch stories that parallel her life. Not that I’m some big-time executive living NYC, but I’m familiar with some of the issues they face. Like when I felt guilty when I couldn’t go on my son’s field trip.

Or maybe I’m slightly envious of these characters? They’re all beautiful, dressed to the chic, and somehow find time to meet for lunch and a cocktail often.

Anyway, we’ll see if the show grows on me. Unfortunately, there’s not much else on to watch. A new episode of Cashmere Mafia is on tonight. Tune in and lets discuss.

21 thoughts on “Cashmere Mafia: Love it or Hate it?

  1. Funny, I was thinking the same thing…can’t decide if I like it or not! I missed the SAHM/Mommy War episode, but I think I’m going to end up on the “hate it” side. Not because of the Mommy War aspect, but because the whole damn thing is so unrealistic, or at least VERY far from my idea of reality. I’ve got to bargain and plan weeks ahead to go to a work required evening event, and these women are having impromtu cocktails every night? There’s another show coming soon called “Lipstick Jungle.” I think it might be similar, although I’m not sure how the Mommy angle will be played. Brooke Shields is in it, who I never really liked until I heard her speak with brutal honesty about post partum depression. Anyway, I’ll probably end up voting “Hate Cashmere Mafia,” but will give it one more chance tonight.

  2. I totally agree – can’t decide, but with the slim pickins we have these days, I’ve been DVRing it…

    I’ll drop back after tonight’s show with a final verdict – I mean if I could once decide on a man in 3 dates, surely I can decide on a TV show in 4??? LOL

  3. Actually, it’s not all that unrealistic anymore for women to be more successful and make more money than the men in their lives. The NYTimes did a big article on it. But those women are more likely to be single *because* they and the men can’t handle the baggage they feel from having the woman be more successful. I guess I like a show that depicts women as the successful ones. But what you’re describing here sounds like it plays into so many stereotypes. Urgh. If you’re looking for a guilt pleasure, check out Gossip Girl. I think they start running the season again on the 28th. I’ll put it in Friday Finds.

  4. Haven’t seen it yet, in part because I’ve heard it’s pretty lousy from some reliable sources. But I might give it a shot tonight. What the heck.

  5. It think it’s just a fun show– nothing more. Just another “Sex in the City”- the non-cable, water-down version.

    I hated the SAHM/Mommy War episode, but only because there’s no such thing as a “mommy war”. (Also, just because you’re a SAHM doesn’t mean you spend all day organizing field trips and making homemade peanut butter– “smirk”)

    Otherwise, I think people need to stop reading themselves into TV SHOWS and just enjoy them for what they are: PURE FICTION and some clever dialog.

  6. I saw it and liked it. I don’t though like Zoe, for some reason, she annoys me. I think it’s more the actress than the actual character. But I do like the show. It’s instead of Sex and the City for me 🙂

  7. I liked the faux lesbian character. She was kinda funny. And Lucy Liu is cool. I guess it was OK, nothing spectacular. I might watch again. Noncommital enough for ya?

  8. Well, since I watched it for the 4th time, I guess I’ll admit to liking it. Yep, it’s just a fun, fiction show. The characters can be annoying at times, but then again I get annoyed with some of my favorite characters from other shows.

    I’m glad Juliet kicked Davis to the curb. Oh, and that gold, striped lame outfit Mia wore to Caleb’s was hideous!

    It’s funny that the previews for Lipstick Jungle seems to be the exact same as Cashmere Mafia. Last night my husband asked if I was watching “Lipstick Mafia.”

  9. FreshHell says:

    I haven’t seen it and don’t plan to. It’s stuff like this that made me give up my Working MOther subscription. I’m not a high earning, high powered working mom. Where are the working mothers like me? Who make much much less than $100k (total household income, mind you)? Who can’t afford any of those “cute” clothes the “real” working moms model? I guess if you approach this show as complete fantasy, then fine. But, it doesn’t help any of us in the real world (not that TV is the real world; far from it). I’d much rather watch Project Runway, thank you.

  10. I kinda like it. It is mindless entertainment. Just like Amy said, it’s basically a lift from Sex and the City. I don’t think it’s doing so well in the ratings right now…

  11. I missed it. 🙁 I watch no TV anymore. It’s pretty sad. Or is that good? Not sure.

    It’s funny about the Sex in the City comparisons. Lipstick Jungle TV Show is based on the book Lipstick Jungle, which was written by Candace Buschnell (sp?), the woman who wrote Sex in the City. So, even though I don’t watch TV, I know a lot about it!

    That’s funny about Lipstick Mafia, Cara.

  12. selfmademom says:

    Thanks for the shout out Susan. I seriously can’t stand the show. I watched it twice and I can’t deal! I’m waiting for Lipstick Jungle in early February. I hope Brooke Shields can revive the working mom thing on TV.

  13. Anonymous says:

    I like the show. I was huge Sex and the City fan. This show reminds me a lot of that, only I can relate more to the characters because they throw in the mommy aspect. The only mommy war I face is the one within myself… you know… I’m really 2 woman, one who wants to stay home with the kids, and the other who wants the successful career? lol. I’ve decided I’m a better mother when I work outside the house. Anyway, all that just to say I like the show. 🙂

  14. Carol Bruess and Anna Kudak says:

    I think I like Lipstick Jungle more. Anyone else?

  15. I didn’t think I would like this show, but I really do. It has a lot of the appeal of sex and the city without the pure raunch for raunch’s sake, you know what I mean? After I had my daughter,I found flexible work because I needed the money. Over the course of working part time, I found a way to apply my civil engineering education in brand new ways, and through an oddball course of events, I truly found my calling. Now, after having my son, I find myself torn between wanting to be home for him and wanting to use my talents and grow my career. While I am not as “high brow” as these women, I see a bit of myself in Zoe.

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