First off, I have no experience with the BBC series that this is based off of, so this review is only for the pilot that aired on ABC.
What I was expecting after seeing all the ads for Mistresses was a steamy summer drama in the same vein as Desperate Housewives. What I got was a surprisingly low key drama series focusing on four women all affected by infidelity in different ways. While the title would suggest that all four women go on some super soft Skinemax affair romp, the actual show is not just about mistresses, but also the wives of cheating husbands, and even the wives who cheat.
The core stories follow a woman recently widowed who is having a hard time dealing with the loss of her husband, a psychiatrist who was having an affair with married patient, a woman whose marriage is starting to hit some major road blocks due to fertility issues, and a young woman who enjoys sex but not relationships. All of these stories have been done on soaps a thousand times before, and yet I found myself enjoying the first episode. Why? It moved quickly, all four leads were perfectly cast, and the writer and director all found small, emotional moments to help the audience connect with the characters on some level.
I have a feeling that the title, more then anything, is what is turning most people off of the show. That disappoints me, because the show is not condoning infidelity. It is not show the subject in a positive light. It's just mining it for dramatic material, just like any daytime soap opera or night time drama has for years.
Seriously, drop the judgments and give the show a chance. It's well acted and entertaining, with the same quality tech aspects you would expect from an ABC series. Is it high art? No. Is it an enjoyable night time soap that takes a high drama subject and handles it in a surprisingly low key manner? Yes. I enjoyed the heck out of Mistresses, and hope to see the series continue.
What I was expecting after seeing all the ads for Mistresses was a steamy summer drama in the same vein as Desperate Housewives. What I got was a surprisingly low key drama series focusing on four women all affected by infidelity in different ways. While the title would suggest that all four women go on some super soft Skinemax affair romp, the actual show is not just about mistresses, but also the wives of cheating husbands, and even the wives who cheat.
The core stories follow a woman recently widowed who is having a hard time dealing with the loss of her husband, a psychiatrist who was having an affair with married patient, a woman whose marriage is starting to hit some major road blocks due to fertility issues, and a young woman who enjoys sex but not relationships. All of these stories have been done on soaps a thousand times before, and yet I found myself enjoying the first episode. Why? It moved quickly, all four leads were perfectly cast, and the writer and director all found small, emotional moments to help the audience connect with the characters on some level.
I have a feeling that the title, more then anything, is what is turning most people off of the show. That disappoints me, because the show is not condoning infidelity. It is not show the subject in a positive light. It's just mining it for dramatic material, just like any daytime soap opera or night time drama has for years.
Seriously, drop the judgments and give the show a chance. It's well acted and entertaining, with the same quality tech aspects you would expect from an ABC series. Is it high art? No. Is it an enjoyable night time soap that takes a high drama subject and handles it in a surprisingly low key manner? Yes. I enjoyed the heck out of Mistresses, and hope to see the series continue.