Mistresses (U.S. TV series)

Cast and characters

Development and production

In February 2012, ABC announced that it had green-lighted Mistresses with a direct-to-series order and a planned summer 2013 airdate. Thirteen episodes were ordered. K.J. Steinberg wrote the pilot episode, which had previously been under consideration for a pilot order for ABC’s fall 2012 schedule. This is the second attempt by a network to import the British series to the U.S. In 2008, Lifetime announced it was developing the series, but it never made it to air. The Lifetime version was also to have starred Aytes, alongside Milano's Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs.

On September 25, 2013, ABC renewed Mistresses for a second season, which aired from June 2 to September 1, 2014. On September 30, 2014, ABC renewed the series for a third season with as production of the program being moved from Los Angeles to Vancouver. The season premiered on June 18, 2015, with a special two-hour premiere in a new Thursday timeslot. On September 25, 2015, ABC renewed Mistresses for a fourth season of 13 episodes. In December 2015, Mistresses was selected for the California film and TV tax credit, relocating filming of the series back to Los Angeles.

Casting

Casting announcements began in early March, with Rochelle Aytes and Jes Macallan being the first actors cast. Aytes portrays April, a widow and mother of one, while Macallan plays Josslyn, a real estate broker and the youngest of the women. Yunjin Kim came on board the project in mid-March in the role of Karen, a psychiatrist who is upset over the death of a patient with whom she was involved. Alyssa Milano completed the lead cast when she signed on to portray Savannah, a married lawyer and older sister to Josslyn.

On September 30, 2014, Milano announced that she would not be returning for the third season of the series as production would be later moved from Los Angeles to Vancouver in order to cut production costs. On February 10, 2015, it was confirmed that actress Jennifer Esposito would join the cast as the new co-lead Calista Raines, described as the creative director of a luxury fashion brand. On September 25, 2015, the same day when ABC announced Mistresses's fourth season renewal, Esposito also left the show after one season. On February 19, 2016, it was announced that Tabrett Bethell, who previously guest starred as Kate Davis in season two for one episode, would return in the remaining lead role during the fourth season.

Critical reception

Mistresses holds a score of 42 out of 100, on Metacritic, based on 16 negative reviews by critics from early in the first season. Brian Lowry of Variety was quite optimistic about the series, stating: "A frothy prime time soap with a definite naughty streak, the program looks well suited to scratch an itch for daytime serial fans ABC abandoned." He went on to state: "Although the characters and situations largely mirror its inspiration, this U.S. version wisely seeks a somewhat cheekier and less somber tone." Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Rabinowitz likened the show to Sex and the City, stating: "Mistresses carries very little hint of any complex lineage, give or take a few scenes that could, with ferocious effort, evoke memories of Carrie Bradshaw and company." Rabinowitz also stated that "the really delectable fun, the best of the sparkle, is to be found in the darkest plots, the looming catastrophes, which promise to come in an endless flow."

In less positive reviews, New York Daily News' David Hinckley gave the premiere two out of five stars, stating that "ABC loves racy romantic dramas, but Mistresses is not its best work in the genre." He continued by saying that "the problem with Mistresses may lie with the expectations it has set." Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times stated that executive producer K.J. Steinberg is "grasping the letter yet not the spirit of the thing, appears more interested in replicating plot from the British version rather than character or anything like nuance."

Ratings

The premiere episode scored a 1.2 in the 18–49 age demographic and 4.40 million viewers. The first season ranked as the No. 2 scripted summer drama among adults 18-49, behind Under the Dome, and averaged around 5 million viewers and a 2.0 18-49 rating, with DVR ratings factored in.

Accolades

In June 2013, Mistresses won the Korean Seoul International Drama Award for Most Popular Foreign Drama, an award which was received by series star Yunjin Kim. In 2015, Alyssa Milano was nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic TV Actress.

Broadcast

Mistresses premiered on CTV in Canada on June 3, 2013, the same day it premiered in the US. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2013, on TLC In Australia, Mistresses premiered on September 30, 2013, on the Seven Network.