‘Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce’ May Be Worst Show of Season

Similar to the women of “The Real Housewives,” the heroines of “Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce” are morally reprehensible. But thankfully, they’re fake. If only they were as entertaining as the real thing.

Bravo’s first scripted series holds promise on paper, with Lisa Edelstein as Abby McCarthy, the best-selling author of the Girlfriends’ Guide To. . . series of books, who’s made millions from telling other people how to manage families and careers. When her marriage falls apart, she hits a crossroads: out herself as a fraud or hold it together for the sake of the brand (based on the title, you can guess what happens).

Yet, the show feels too forced, too synthetic. Touching fake breasts in department stores! Making snarky comments like “Smooth move, Wiki Leaks!” This show is really trying to push cable television’s buttons, but it just comes off as stale and as empty as the calories all of these Angelenos are trying to avoid. None of the characters are likeable, even in an anti-hero way. Janeane Garofalo’s Lyla has sex with her ex-husband for fun and then calls the police on him so he can get picked up for a DUI. Phoebe (played by Beau Garrett), the midriff-bearing mother and best gal pal to Abby and Lyla, has sex with her ex-husband on a regular basis for money and gifts.

It’s questionable what reality this show exist in. Since viewers don’t know what exactly is in the content of the self-help books (is it specifically made-up stories about her husband or is it just a general guide to marriage?), it’s peculiar that Abby doesn’t want to release information about her impending divorce to the public since—as every Bravo fan knows—controversy sells. The network itself is considering delaying the next “Real Housewives” installment until Teresa Giudice gets out of prison.

While “Sex and the City” was ultimately a show about friendship, this show is about as far away from that as possible. There’s nothing genuine about it, and there’s no one worth rooting for. Except for the person with the remote control and power to change the channel.

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