I'm not sure whether this is an alert or a warning, really. Lipstick Jungle, the new show from another Sex and the City alum, premieres tonight on NBC. (The other show from a SATC alum is Cashmere Mafia. But you knew that.)

The reviews haven't been great so far. Here's one choice snippet from The Oregonian:

... just beneath Lipstick Jungle's swank veneer lies, well, nothing. Cliches and abstractions. Vague gestures in the direction of neo-feminism. All of which you've seen before, just never quite as lame as it is this time around.

Well. The critics don't seem to agree, though, on whether Cashmere or Lipstick is the superior of the pair. I'll confess to being intrigued by Brooke Shields, maybe just because I know she once had the privilege of kissing Cherry Jones. But I doubt she'll be enough to hold my interest — not that anything on Cashmere Mafia is holding my interest lately, either.

Why is Sex and the City the gold standard for female-centric TV, anyway? Surely Cagney & Lacey, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Popular and Maude deserve more praise when it comes to female, even feminist, characters. Not to mention The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, but I think they broke the mold with that one.

I sometimes think back to the summer before my freshman year of high school. My very Catholic school gave us a booklist to read, and as a result of the imposed summer homework (Oh, no! Would all of high school be like this?), I was introduced to the four sisters March. Yes, the booklist included Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy found their way into my heart that summer of ’65. As I sat out on Mastic Beach in Long Island at the home of one of my cousins, I was transported back to the Civil War and the lives of those four girls. Balmy winds and beach sand under my feet were no match for Southern hospitality, adventurous escapades, plays, balls and the tears shed at the many sad moments in the book. I immediately fell in love with Jo and wished she could hold me in her arms as she did her dear sister Beth. Little did I know that was a portent of my future!

As I grew up and enjoyed different shows on TV, I came to recognize a pattern. Certain shows resonated with me in a way that was so familiar. You know these shows: The Facts of Life, Golden Girls, Designing Women. What was it, I asked myself, that connects all of these shows? And then one day, it came to me. The characters on these shows reflect the attributes of the characters in Little Women. … continue reading

It's the Cashmere Mafia edition of She Made Me Watch This! In this episode, Lori and I analyze what works and what doesn't in the first two episodes of the new ABC drama series, including:

• what changes were made from the original pilot
• why we love Caitlin and the way Bonnie Somerville plays her
• why we hate what the writers have done to Zoe's character
• Juliet's makeover, and what's still missing in her story line
• Mia's bad pirate sleeves, and good mentoring skills
• the wonder of spreadsheets and their many uses
• lots and lots of Caitlin and Alicia!

We also show some of the lesbian story line scenes, and Lori gives tips for succeeding in the workplace (here's one: don't sleep with co-workers!).

And we wear business suits! In memory of the days when we actually had to wear something besides jeans to work.

Tonight at 10/9c, Cashmere Mafia takes its regular spot on ABC. Early numbers aren't great, but let's hope viewers give the show a second chance so we can see how Caitlin's story line turns out. (What I really mean is "more kissing, please.")

If you missed the first episode, read bad machine's hilarious recap. Here's one of my favorite bits, about Mia's engagement:

I can see her being that kind of newlywed: the woman who can't resist inserting the word "husband" into every sentence she utters for the entire first year of marriage. It's a common heterosexual woman's form of Tourette's, but without the amusing shock value.

If mythical New York isn't your thing, try MythBusters on the Discovery Channel at 9/8c. It's a repeat, but a good one: The crew tests various movie myths, like crazy car jumps and shooting a padlock open. All the research you need for your weekend Thelma and Louise reenactment!

Side note: While doing some Googling for this post, I found this FHM photo of mythbuster Kari Byron. Eww.