The Starter Wife (miniseries): Difference between revisions
m moved The Starter Wife to The Starter Wife (miniseries): There is now a mini-series and a regular series, with significant cast and story differences, thus needing two articles. |
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Joan McAllister ([[Judy Davis]]) is Molly's oldest friend and an alcoholic socialite who lends Molly her beachfront [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] home when she pretends to jet off to [[Paris]] but actually enters a rehab center in [[Ojai]]. She later calls upon Molly to impersonate her non-existent sister "Bambi," upon whom she has placed all blame for her failings, when her therapist insists the two confront each other and work out their hostilities. |
Joan McAllister ([[Judy Davis]]) is Molly's oldest friend and an alcoholic socialite who lends Molly her beachfront [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] home when she pretends to jet off to [[Paris]] but actually enters a rehab center in [[Ojai]]. She later calls upon Molly to impersonate her non-existent sister "Bambi," upon whom she has placed all blame for her failings, when her therapist insists the two confront each other and work out their hostilities. |
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Cricket Stewart ([[Miranda Otto]]) is one of Molly's friends whose allegiance to her is tested when her [[film director]] husband, a business associate of Kenny, demands she break all ties with her. When she discovers him in a compromising situation with their children's nanny, she orders him to leave the house and reconnects with Molly. She later takes him back |
Cricket Stewart ([[Miranda Otto]]) is one of Molly's friends whose allegiance to her is tested when her [[film director]] husband, a business associate of Kenny's, demands she break all ties with her. When she discovers him in a compromising situation with their children's nanny, she orders him to leave the house and reconnects with Molly. She later takes him back but has difficulty forgetting the image of her husband with the nanny. After she discovers she is pregnant she tells Molly that she has finally found the image to replace the one of her husband cheating. |
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Rodney ([[Chris Diamantopoulos]]), one of Molly's best friends, is a [[gay]] [[interior decorator]] suffering a financial setback. |
Rodney ([[Chris Diamantopoulos]]), one of Molly's best friends, is a [[gay]] [[interior decorator]] suffering a financial setback. |
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Revision as of 08:50, 1 November 2008
| The Starter Wife | |
|---|---|
 The Starter Wife title card | |
| Created by | Gigi Levangie |
| Written by | Gigi Levangie (novel) Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott (screenplay) |
| Directed by | Jon Avnet |
| Starring | Debra Messing Judy Davis Miranda Otto Chris Diamantopoulos Peter Jacobson Stephen Moyer Joe Mantegna |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 5 (one two-hour; four one-hour) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Jon Avnet Stephanie Davis Howard Klein Gigi Levangie Josann McGibbon Sara Parriott |
| Running time | 6 hours |
| Original release | |
| Network | USA Network |
| Release | May 31 - June 28, 2007 |
The Starter Wife is a 2007 USA Network television miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by Gigi Levangie Grazer. Its title is derived from the concept of a starter marriage. Filmed over four months in Queensland, Australia,[1] the plot focuses on Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) who, after years of marriage to a Hollywood film mogul, is forced to redefine herself and her role in society when he leaves her for a younger woman.
The mini-series premiered with a two-hour presentation on May 31, 2007 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The premiere attracted 5.4 million viewers, with 2.8 million of them being adults aged 25-54 (the network's target demographic). Ratings steadily decreased as the series progressed. The series is available for purchase on iTunes (to American customers only) and was available for DVD purchase starting September 11, 2007.
The mini-series was nominated for ten Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Debra Messing), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Joe Mantegna) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Judy Davis). Davis was the sole winner. Messing was also nominated for a 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a TV Movie and a 2008 SAG Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Miniseries of TV Movie.
Although initially intended as a one-shot miniseries, USA subsequently ordered The Starter Wife as a new series for the 2008 spring season [2]. Production on the series first ten-episode season was delayed due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and will begin airing October 10, 2008.
Characters
Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) is a 41-year-old wife and mother of five-year-old daughter Jaden (Miniseries: Bethany Whitmore; Series: Brielle Barbusca). Soon after the characters are introduced, she is abandoned by her husband and is forced to rebuild her life and assert herself within the film community, most of which ignores her after the split.
Joan McAllister (Judy Davis) is Molly's oldest friend and an alcoholic socialite who lends Molly her beachfront Malibu home when she pretends to jet off to Paris but actually enters a rehab center in Ojai. She later calls upon Molly to impersonate her non-existent sister "Bambi," upon whom she has placed all blame for her failings, when her therapist insists the two confront each other and work out their hostilities.
Cricket Stewart (Miranda Otto) is one of Molly's friends whose allegiance to her is tested when her film director husband, a business associate of Kenny's, demands she break all ties with her. When she discovers him in a compromising situation with their children's nanny, she orders him to leave the house and reconnects with Molly. She later takes him back but has difficulty forgetting the image of her husband with the nanny. After she discovers she is pregnant she tells Molly that she has finally found the image to replace the one of her husband cheating.
Rodney (Chris Diamantopoulos), one of Molly's best friends, is a gay interior decorator suffering a financial setback.
Kenny Kagan (Miniseries: Peter Jacobson) is Molly's soon-to-be ex-husband and President of Production at Durango Pictures. He leaves Molly for a woman half his age and aims to replace the current CEO of the company.
Sam Knight (Stephen Moyer) is a homeless beach bum who saves Molly from drowning. He openly scorns her as superficial but the two eventually become involved in a romantic relationship. It is later revealed he spent five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after his best friend was killed in a car crash caused by Sam's DUI.
Lou Manahan (Joe Mantegna) is the head of Durango Pictures. He fakes his suicide by drowning to start anew, yet cannot help but attend his memorial service (disguised as a woman) to see how his friends and colleagues react to his death.
Lavender (Anika Noni Rose) is the security guard at the entrance to the gated community where Joan lives. Molly takes her and her grandmother under her wing when they are evicted from their apartment for having a dog.
Shoshanna (Trilby Glover) is a young pop music singer who becomes involved with Kenny. It is revealed she was only using him to advance her career and she dumps him when he is fired from his job.
Nielsen Ratings by episode
| Episode # | Title | Air Date | Rating[3] | 25–54[4] | Viewers | Cable Rank[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | "Premiere" | May 31, 2007 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 5.39 | #5 |
| 3 | "Hour 3" | June 7, 2007 | 2.7 | ? | 3.92 | #7 |
| 4 | "Hour 4" | June 14, 2007 | 2.5 | ? | 3.55 | #9 |
| 5 | "Hour 5" | June 21, 2007 | 2.2 | ? | 3.15 | #22 |
| 6 | "Finale" | June 28, 2007 | 1.7 | ? | 2.82 | #29 |
International broadcasting
| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
USA Network | May 31, 2007 | |
 Canada |
A-Channel | September 10, 2007 | Mondays at 9:00pm |
 Australia |
Network Ten | December 5, 2007 | Wednesdays at 8:30pm |
 Thailand |
Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 8:00pm |
 Malaysia |
Sundays at 9.00pm | ||
 Singapore
| |||
 Hong Kong
| |||
 Philippines
| |||
 Portugal |
MOV | December 2007 | |
 Brazil |
Telecine Premium / Light/ Pipoca | October 2007 | |
 United Kingdom |
Sky Movies Drama | December 10, 2007 | Mondays at 9:40pm |
 Turkey |
CNBC-e | September 18 2008 | Thursdays at 9:00pm |
 Sweden |
Kanal5 | March 11, 2008 | Tuesday at 9:00 pm |
 Germany |
Premiere | February 19, 2008 | Tuesdays at 8:15pm |
 Croatia |
Nova TV | announced | TBD |
 France |
Canal+ | August 7, 2008 | Thursdays at 8:50 pm (2 episodes) |
 Italy |
Mya | September 4, 2008 | Thursdays at 9:00 pm |