# The Starter Wife (miniseries)

The Starter Wife is a 2007 USA Network television miniseries, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Gigi Levangie Grazer. Its title is derived from the concept of a starter marriage. Filmed over four months in Queensland, Australia, the plot focuses on Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) who, after years of marriage to a Hollywood film mogul, is forced to redefine herself and her role in society when her husband leaves her for a younger woman.
The mini-series premiered with a two-hour presentation on May 31, 2007 at 9:00 pm ET. The premiere attracted 5.4 million viewers, with 2.8 million of them being adults aged 25–54 (the network's target demographic). Ratings steadily decreased as the series progressed. The series is available for purchase on iTunes (to American customers only) and was available for DVD purchase starting September 11, 2007.
The miniseries was nominated for ten Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries, Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Debra Messing), Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Joe Mantegna), Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Judy Davis), and Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special (Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott). Davis was the sole winner, while Messing was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
Although initially intended as a one-shot miniseries, USA subsequently ordered The Starter Wife as a new series for the 2008 spring season. Production on the series first ten-episode season was delayed due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and began airing October 10, 2008.

## Characters

* Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) is a 41-year-old wife and mother of five-year-old daughter Jaden (Miniseries: Bethany Whitmore; Series: Brielle Barbusca). Soon after the characters are introduced, she is abandoned by her husband and is forced to rebuild her life and assert herself within the film community, most of which ignores her after the split.
* Joan McAllister (Judy Davis) is Molly's oldest friend and an alcoholic socialite who lends Molly her beachfront Malibu home when she pretends to jet off to Paris but actually enters a rehab center in Ojai. She later calls upon Molly to impersonate her non-existent sister "Bambi", upon whom she has placed all blame for her failings, when her therapist insists the two confront each other and work out their hostilities.
* Cricket Stewart (Miranda Otto) is one of Molly's friends whose allegiance to her is tested when her film director husband, a business associate of Kenny's, demands she break all ties with her. When she discovers him in a compromising situation with their children's nanny, she orders him to leave the house and reconnects with Molly. She later takes him back but has difficulty forgetting the image of her husband with the nanny. After she discovers she is pregnant she tells Molly that she has finally found the image to replace the one of her husband cheating.
* Rodney Evans (Chris Diamantopoulos), one of Molly's best friends, is a gay interior decorator suffering a financial setback.
* Kenny Kagan (Miniseries: Peter Jacobson) is Molly's soon-to-be ex-husband and President of Production at Durango Pictures. He leaves Molly for a woman half his age and aims to replace the current CEO of the company.
* Sam Knight (Stephen Moyer) is a homeless beach bum who saves Molly from drowning. He openly scorns her as superficial but the two eventually become involved in a romantic relationship. It is later revealed he spent five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after his best friend was killed in a car crash caused by Sam's DUI.
* Lou Manahan (Joe Mantegna) is the head of Durango Pictures. He fakes his suicide by drowning to start anew, yet cannot help but attend his memorial service (disguised as a woman) to see how his friends and colleagues react to his death.
* Lavender (Anika Noni Rose) is the security guard at the entrance to the gated community where Joan lives. Molly takes her and her grandmother under her wing when they are evicted from their apartment for having a dog.
* Shoshanna (Trilby Glover) is a young pop music singer who becomes involved with Kenny. It is revealed she was only using him to advance her career and she dumps him when he is fired from his job.

## Nielsen Ratings by episode

| Episode # | Title | Air Date | Rating | 25–54 | Viewers | Cable Rank |
| 1 & 2 | "Premiere" | May 31, 2007 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 5.39 | #5 |
| 3 | "Hour 3" | June 7, 2007 | 2.7 | ? | 3.92 | #7 |
| 4 | "Hour 4" | June 14, 2007 | 2.5 | ? | 3.55 | #9 |
| 5 | "Hour 5" | June 21, 2007 | 2.2 | ? | 3.15 | #22 |
| 6 | "Finale" | June 28, 2007 | 1.7 | ? | 2.82 | #29 |

## International broadcasting

| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
| United States | USA Network | May 31, 2007 | |
| Canada | A-Channel | September 10, 2007 | Mondays at 9:00 pm |
| Australia | Network Ten | December 5, 2007 | Wednesdays at 8:30 pm |
| Thailand | Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 8:00 pm |
| Malaysia | Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 9.00 pm |
| Singapore | Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 9.00 pm |
| Hong Kong | Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 9.00 pm |
| Philippines | Hallmark Channel | October 21, 2007 | Sundays at 9.00 pm |
| Portugal | MOV | December 2007 | |
| Portugal | TVI | November 2009 | Thursdays at approximately 00:15 am |
| Brazil | Rede Telecine / People+Arts | October 2007 | |
| United Kingdom | Sky Movies Drama | December 10, 2007 | Mondays at 9:40 pm |
| Turkey | CNBC-e | September 18, 2008 | Thursdays at 9:00 pm |
| Sweden | Kanal 5 | March 11, 2008 | Tuesday at 9:00 pm |
| Germany | Premiere | February 19, 2008 | Tuesdays at 8:15 pm |
| Croatia | Nova TV | announced | TBA |
| France | Canal+ | August 7, 2008 | Thursdays at 8:50 pm (2 episodes) |
| Spain | Cosmopolitan TV (cable) | February 2, 2009 | |
| Spain | TVE 2 | July 2009 | |
| Italy | Mya | September 4, 2008 | Thursdays at 9:00 pm |
| Switzerland | SF zwei | November 17, 2008 | Monday at 8.00 pm |
| Hungary | TV2 | May 26, 2009 | Friday at 10.15 pm |
| Japan | Star Channel(CS) | October 2008 | |
| The Middle East | Showseries Showtime Arabia | | |
| Netherlands | RTL8 | January 3, 2010 | Sundays at 8.00 pm |
| Ireland | TG4 | | |
| Belgium | La Une | June 2010 | Thursdays at 10:00 pm (2 episodes) |
| Serbia | Fox Life | | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2007 | Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Mini Series | Mary Jo Slater, Steve Brooksbank, and Tom McSweeney | Won |
| 2007 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Miniseries | Best Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2007 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Debra Messing | Nominated |
| 2007 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Joe Mantegna | Nominated |
| 2007 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Miniseries | Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott, Jon Avnet, Stephanie Davis, Howard Klein, Gigi Levangie Grazer, Jeff Hayes, and Marsha Oglesby | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Debra Messing | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Joe Mantegna | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Judy Davis | Won |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie | Tracey Gallacher, Brian Edmonds, and Rolland Pike | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Mary Jo Slater, Steven Brooksbank, and Tom McSweeney | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Marion Boyce, Debra McGuire, and Vanessa Loh (for "Part 1") | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic) | Viv Mepham and Deborah Lanser | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Robert Florio (for "Part 3") | Nominated |
| 2007 | Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries | Best Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2007 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Debra Messing | Nominated |
| 2007 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Judy Davis | Nominated |
| 2008 | Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-series | Tracey Gallacher, Brian Edmonds, and Michelle McGahey | Nominated |
| 2008 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actress | Judy Davis | Nominated |
| 2008 | Costume Designers Guild Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries | Debra McGuire and Marion Boyce | Nominated |
| 2008 | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries | Jon Avnet | Nominated |
| 2008 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Debra Messing | Nominated |
| 2008 | Gracie Awards | Outstanding Female Lead – Mini-Series | Debra Messing | Won |
| 2008 | Gracie Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress – Mini-Series | Judy Davis | Won |
| 2008 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Anika Noni Rose | Nominated |
| 2008 | Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Jon Avnet, Josann McGibbon, Marsha Oglesby, and Sara Parriott | Nominated |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Debra Messing | Nominated |
| 2008 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adaptation | Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon; Based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer | Nominated |