Lipstick Jungle – Power, Pain, and the Price of Glamour.

Lipstick Jungle – Power, Pain, and the Price of Glamour  
★★★★ — 10/10 — Perfect — Don’t Miss It


If Sex and the City was champagne and confessions, Lipstick Jungle is espresso martinis and emotional warfare. Airing for just two seasons from 2008 to 2009 on NBC, this short-lived but striking series dives deep into the lives of three powerful women navigating the brutal terrain of love, ambition, and identity in New York City. And unlike its predecessor, it doesn’t sugarcoat the cost of success.

Based on the novel by Candace Bushnell, the same mind behind Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle trades sexual liberation for emotional complexity. It’s darker, more cynical, and far more interested in the messy contradictions of modern womanhood. These women aren’t looking for Mr. Big—they are Mr. Big.


The Jungle Queens  

- Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields): a film executive juggling motherhood, marriage, and studio politics  

- Nico Reilly (Kim Raver): a magazine editor caught between career ambition and a forbidden romance  

- Victory Ford (Lindsay Price): a fashion designer rebuilding her brand and her heart  

They’re best friends, but they’re also flawed, ambitious, and sometimes emotionally ruthless. And that’s the point. Lipstick Jungle doesn’t offer easy heroes or villains. Everyone’s a little bit of both.


Feminism with a Razor’s Edge  

This isn’t feel-good feminism. It’s feminism that stares into the mirror and asks hard questions. The show explores how women—feminist or not—can be just as selfish, prejudiced, and emotionally destructive as the men they battle or love. It’s a bold critique of gender dynamics, not by preaching, but by showing how power corrupts equally.

The writing is subtle but biting. The humor is acidic, the romance is complicated, and the drama is laced with existential dread. There’s no redemption arc here—just survival in a world where everyone’s playing dirty, and no one’s truly innocent.


Production & Ratings Snapshot  

| Genre              | Drama / Comedy-Drama / Romance                                        

| Network            | NBC                                                    

| Seasons            | 2 (2008–2009)                                                           

| Episodes           | 20 total                                                               

| IMDb Rating       | ★ 6.6/10 from over 7.8K users                                  |

| Created By         | DeAnn Heline & Eileen Heisler, based on Candace Bushnell’s novel  

| Streaming          | Available on Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and other platforms       

Final Thoughts  

Lipstick Jungle is not for the faint of heart. It’s stylish, smart, and emotionally unsettling. It doesn’t offer comfort—it offers clarity. In this jungle, everyone’s hunting something: love, power, validation. And sometimes, they become the very predators they fear.

If you’re tired of tidy resolutions and charming antiheroes, this series will challenge you. It’s a mirror held up to modern ambition, and it’s not afraid to show the cracks.

XOXO,  

Dirk, the Series Guy Digest




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