Mistresses: Volume One

The parallels between Mistresses and a certain popular HBO series-turned-movie-franchise are so clear that the former refers to itself as “a British drama for the Sex and the City set.” But aside from the obvious—namely, that both revolve around four attractive, (mostly) single urban women who spend a lot of time having affairs and even more time dishing about them—the two shows aren't really all that similar. Sex and the City, of course, is a comedy, but while Mistresses has some amusing moments, it's hardly what you'd call funny—except unintentionally, due to some risibly over-the-top plot developments. In the first of these 12 episodes from the 2008-09 first and second seasons, Katie (Sarah Parish), a doctor, is having an affair with a married but seriously ill patient whose life she later helps to terminate—an interesting ethical and moral setup that turns ridiculous in the very next episode, when she takes up with her dead lover's son. Meanwhile, the freewheeling Jessica (Shelley Conn), a wedding planner who's dead set against marriage, can't seem to decide whether she's straight, gay, or bi. Siobhan (Orla Brady) is married, but her husband is apparently infertile, which is only one of the factors leading to her involvement with a coworker at her law firm. And Trudi (Sharon Small), who's just beginning to reenter the dating world after her husband's death in the 9/11 attacks, is in for a string of shocking surprises. These setups are merely the tip of a very large tragicomic iceberg, but while Mistresses does get pretty silly (not to mention soapy), the show is never less than entertaining, escapist fun. DVD extras include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes with cast interviews. Recommended, overall. (S. Graham)