The Unexpected Intrigue (And Totally Expected Banality) Of 'The Starter Wife'

Unless you've been living in a cave, there has been no safe place from the unrelenting promos for USA Network miniseries The Starter Wife (brought to you by Ponds! In case you haven't heard!). And, just as we read the tabs so you don't have to, we watched all two hours of last night's premiere installment of this highly confused concoction. Here's our take: Despite the utter banality of the show (and its tie-in website, which has message boards structured for real divorcees to share their stories), there's something weirdly appealing about The Starter Wife's characters, whose problems are repressed with help from so much booze and sex that we feel like teetotaling virgins in comparison. Anyway, after the jump, our helpful recap and character summary for those who didn't tune in. More »