The Couch Potato: Swearing off men

By Casey Gillis

Published: October 9, 2008

I mostly loved “The Starter Wife” when it aired as a USA miniseries a couple summers ago.

It was the perfect fun, frothy summer show about Molly Kagan (Debra Messing), whose Hollywood life spun out of control when her studio executive hubby left her for a young pop star.

In the aftermath of their split, Molly leaned on friends Joan (the always great Judy Davis, who got an Emmy for the role), Rodney (Chris Diamantopoulos) and Cricket (Miranda Otto).

She also got back into the dating game, first with her husband’s boss, Lou (a charming Joe Mantegna) and, later, with the troubled, homeless Sam (an awful Stephen Moyer).

The good news about the 10-episode series, which premieres at 9 p.m. Friday, is that boring Sam is gone (Moyer is now stinking up the place on HBO’s “True Blood,” but that’s another column for another time).

Also out is Peter Jacobson as Molly’s ex, Kenny. He’s been replaced by David Alan Basche, who actually makes the philanderer slightly more likeable. I say slightly because Kenny’s awfully whiney in the first hour as he frets over his latest movie, a gore fest called “Blood Canal,” and undermines Molly with their daughter, Jaden.

The series opens with a movie homage: Molly done up as Queen Elizabeth (the Cate Blanchett version), swearing off men.

We all know where that’ll get her, right? As soon as a heroine says no more dating, her perfect man usually shows up.

I don’t know if he’s perfect, but Molly does develop an interest in Zach, the teacher of her writing class. He’s a good guy, but I’m not sure I see them as soulmates just yet.

Davis and Diamantopoulos’ Joan and Rodney are both back to help Molly navigate the single life, while handling storylines of their own. Joan, a recovering alcoholic, takes a job at a rehab center and deals with an obnoxious new patient — all the while insisting that she’s no do-gooder.

“I’ll tend to emotional wounds. I’ll strip search druggies for pills,” she tells her husband. “But I draw the line at being a good person. And I’m not wearing the Crocs.”

Meanwhile, interior designer Rodney develops a crush on his latest client, feelings that just might be returned.

The movie homages get a little clunky at times. In the two-hour premiere, there’s a blah version of “Frankenstein,” but an entertaining “Mission: Impossible.”

For her part, Messing has never been better, and you can tell she’s having a great time.