Fall TV Blog

Cashmere Mafia is only four episodes old, and Mia (Lucy Liu) may already have a rebound love interest. His name is Dr. Jason Chun (played by Grey’s Anatomy actor Jack Yang), a brain surgeon who is “the head of neurotherapy at NYU.” Liu’s former fiancé Jack Cutting (Tom Everett Scott), whom she bumped into while having drinks with the ladies, has also moved on — to beautiful TV reporter Liz.

After an awkward blind coffee date, which was set up by Mia’s mom and ends with a clammy handshake, Mia decides to call up Dr. Jason anyway to see if he’ll accompany her to a party she knows Jack and Liz will attend together. Mia and the “hand-shaking brain surgeon,” as she calls him, have a great time and end up closing the night with a hot kiss, despite the fact that Mia clearly still has feelings for Jack and that Dr. Jason, by self-admission, doesn’t usually date Chinese women. What’s a stylish, powerful girl to do? –Nicholas White

Tell us: Will Mia pursue things with Dr. Jason? Or will she rekindle with Jack?

PATRICK HARBRON/ABC

Here’s a quick glance at what the four fabulous friends of the Cashmere Mafia are dealing with:

Mia Mason: She’s no longer engaged after she passed up her fiancé for a promotion at the publishing house where they work. (And he’s no longer employed.) Now she’s dealing with being alone and in a position of power. She can handle the pressure of the job, but handling the men who work below her might be more of a challenge. And how will her mom take the news that the wedding’s off?

Juliet Draper: After discovering her husband was cheating with her nemesis, Juliet vows to get even — with him by taking a lover and with his mistress by exiling her from a stylish Manhattan co-op. But when the nemesis strikes out at her friends, she decides to call a truce. And when confronted with the affections of another man, she chickens out.

Zoe Burden: Things with her hunky husband are hunky-dory for now but she’s struggling a bit with that whole “working mom” thing. Back at the office, this business executive is very aware of the younger, perkier associates who are looking to take her place without paying their dues.

Caitlin Dowd: Dating men hasn’t really worked out for this cosmetics marketing exec. But she’s still a confused (and a little thrilled) about the sexy new woman in her life. When a blind item pops up on a new gossip blog, she’s afraid of being outed. Luckily, the love interest has enough experience for the both of them.

Tell us: Which character do you identify with?

Photo: ANDREW ECCLES/ABC

With its foursome of fierce female friends, it’s no secret that Cashmere Mafia is trying to fill the gap left by Sex and the City (Darren Star is the executive producer, after all). And after Sunday’s preview and Wednesday’s premiere, we’re seeing plenty of similarities — the trendy clothes, the hip New York nightspots, the gorgeous guys, the never-ending martinis, the impossibly perfect apartments, the fairytale Manhattan backdrop … The show even has its own bubbly theme song!

And much like Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, Lucy Liu’s Mia Mason is the leader of the pack. (Once upon a time, Liu was a guest star on SATC!) She’s got the most fabulous sense of style, that spring in her step and the ability to summon the rest of the ladies for a coffee or a cocktail at the drop of a text message. When they get together, guess what they do? Dish about men, careers and friendships, of course. But can Mia really be the next Carrie Bradshaw? Is she stylish and loveable enough? Is it too early to tell? Or will Carrie live forever in our collective memory as an untouchable fashion princess living in gilded Manhattan paradise? (Well, at least until the movie comes out.)

Tell us: Is Lucy Liu’s character the new Carrie Bradshaw?

BAUER-GRIFFIN; PATRICK HARBRON/ABC

For the women of Cashmere Mafia, the glamorous life at the top of the Manhattan food chain is not without its tradeoffs. For Mia Mason (Lucy Liu), it’s a top publishing position versus her relationship. Meanwhile Zoe Burden (Frances O’Connor) struggles to find balance as a mom and a powerful investment banker and Caitlin Down (Bonnie Somerville) is starting to wonder if she might prefer women to men. But it’s Juliet Draper’s (Miranda Otto) situation that hits the hardest. When her friends tell her that her husband is having an affair, she admits that she’s known about his infidelity and has accepted it — until now.

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With Sex and the City creator Darren Star executive producing, Cashmere Mafia could be just what Carrie Bradshaw fans have been missing. So before the show debuts this Sunday (10 p.m. ET on ABC), meet the ladies who are poised to become the next fierce foursome.

Mia Mason (Lucy Liu): She’s a publishing powerhouse who finds herself pitted against her fiancé (Tom Everett Scott) for a promotion. What’s a girl to do? Get her girlfriends’ advice: “They’re facing us off against each other for the publisher. Sudden death. One moves up, and the other moves out. The gun’s gone off, and the finish line is this Friday. So, I go for it, right?”

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