Television series

Lipstick Jungle

Name: Lipstick Jungle
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2008
Cast: Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Lindsay Price, Paul Blackthorne, Robert Buckley

Workplace drama

Three ambitious women navigate high-stakes careers in New York—one a movie executive, one a magazine editor, one a fashion designer—while juggling romance, friendship, and the impossible demand to have it all. It's *Sex and the City*'s workplace cousin: zippy, glamorous, occasionally sharp about the actual cost of ambition, and unapologetically devoted to the fantasy of effortless success.

TVMaze rating

3.3

If you liked this

Sex and the City1998

The obvious DNA connection: witty, character-driven, and equally invested in fashion, friendship, and the messy reality behind polished exteriors. If you loved one, this is essential.

But It's slower and more introspective than *Lipstick Jungle*; the humor lands differently and the tone can feel indulgent to those allergic to nostalgia.

Ally McBeal1997

Another ensemble about ambitious women navigating work and love with humor and heart. It has that same warm, soapy energy and the same willingness to let characters be both successful and messy.

But It's more stylized and surreal, with visual gags and magical realism that feel dated now. The comedy is broader and more theatrical.

30 Rock2006

Fast, smart comedy about women climbing the entertainment industry. Tighter writing than *Lipstick Jungle*, sharper jokes, and a genuine affection for its characters beneath the chaos.

But It's much darker and more cynical; there's less romance and glamour, more humiliation and survival instinct. The tone is harder.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lipstick Jungle

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Network1976

Both explore how success in media and entertainment rewards those willing to compromise; *Network* simply refuses to pretend the compromise isn't a small death.

A blistering satire about ambition, media, and the machinery that grinds talented people into commodities. It's about the exact world *Lipstick Jungle* depicts—but with rage underneath the glamour, and genuinely dark consequences.

But It's not a comedy—it's an angry prophecy that gets more bleak as it goes. There's no happiness here, and no one wins the way they hoped to.

Ugly Betty2006

Fashion magazine world, ambitious women, workplace politics, and genuine heart. It balances comedy and drama in a similar register, with strong ensemble work and real stakes beneath the fun.

But It leans heavier into family drama and can feel melodramatic. The humor is less sophisticated and more sitcom-shaped.

The Devil Wears Prada2006

Same universe, same obsessions: the seduction and cost of fashion, mentorship between women, and the gap between ambition and contentment. Meryl Streep is worth the price alone.

But It's a film, not a series, so you don't get to live in this world for seasons. And it's a single, tightly plotted story, not the ensemble sprawl of character discovery.

Working Girl1988

The spiritual ancestor of shows like this: a woman's rise through a male-dominated industry, with humor, style, and a real sense of stakes. It's dated but enduringly smart about ambition and class.

But It's from 1988 and it shows—the fashion, the technology, the gender politics are period pieces now. Some of the comedy feels quaint.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017

Ambitious woman, glamorous era, sharp writing, and genuine romance woven through a career story. It has *Lipstick Jungle*'s warmth but much tighter plotting and richer character work.

But It's much longer and more novelistic; there's a lot of plot to track. And the tone is more bittersweet than bubbly.

Cashmere Mafia2008

From the same stable as *Lipstick Jungle* and *Sex and the City*, about four wealthy, successful women in New York. Same DNA, similar energy, worth exploring if you loved the concept.

But It was cancelled after one season and feels incomplete. The writing is less assured and the characters are thinner than the best of the genre.

Murphy Brown1988

A pioneering show about a brilliant, ambitious woman making it in a male industry. Funny, smart, and genuinely about the work, not just the personal fallout. It holds up.

But It's much older and more topical to its era. The comedy is sharper and less warm; Murphy is prickly where Wendy, Nico, and Victory are rounded.

Succession2018

Where *Lipstick Jungle* shows women supporting women through competitive ambition, *Succession* shows ambition as a sickness that poisons all relationships, across gender lines.

Also about ambitious people clawing for power in a glamorous industry, but with psychological depth and structural sophistication *Lipstick Jungle* doesn't attempt. Mesmerizing and masterful.

But It's relentlessly bleak and hostile—no one is likeable or trustworthy, and the show takes genuine pleasure in their suffering. There's no warmth or female solidarity.

His Girl Friday1940

Both celebrate ambitious women in media who are also romantic; this is what that looked like eighty years earlier, proving the fantasy isn't new—and showing how differently we tell it now.

A woman and man in journalism, fast-talking and brilliant, navigating love and career in parallel. It's snappy, romantic, and genuinely about intellectual partnership. A classic for good reason.

But It's 1940, in black and white, and the gender politics will feel strange—progressive for then, but not now. You have to adjust your ear to the rapid-fire dialogue.