I have now seen 3 episodes of each show which makes me totally qualified to compare them. Oddly enough there are quite some similarities to be spotted while watching these 2 brand new series.

The Cashmere Mafia follows 4 über-power women in New York. Zoe and Juliet are married (not to each other), Mia is single (recently un-engaged) while Caitlin discovers she might be dykely inclined.
Mistresses tells the story of 4 average-power women in London. Siobhan is married (but cheating on her husband), Katie – who is a doctor – is single but had an affair with a terminally ill patient who died in the first episode, Trudi’s husband got killed in the 9/11 attacks and Jess discovers she might be dykely inclined. 

So, we’ve got 2 shows dealing with 4 urban women and in both shows 1 of them starts feeling attracted to other women (equaling a grand total of 2 possible dykes). What a great coincidence. But, how do they compare? Let’s see:

Hotness
Obviously the Brits have the advantage of speaking with incredibly luscious accents but even if we simply compare looks (the most important factor in TV shows of course) Mistresses wins hands down (only Bette Porter beats Sarah Parish in my current hotlist). See for yourself below. What I found so striking about these two pictures is that the (would-be) lesbians are both in the third place from the left. Could it be symbolic? Anyway, Mistresses vs. TCM: 1-0.

Oh, how I prefer London fancy over New York chic…

Decor
I love London but nothing beats New York City. It’s as simple as that. Mistresses vs. TCM: 1-1.

Acting
I was a big fan of Lucy Liu in Ally McBeal when she played Ling, but one thing is for absolute sure: Ling does not do nice well. Lucy Liu sucks as Mia. It’s hard to believe that Frances O’Connor, who plays Zoe, is the same girl that once stole our heart in the dyke cult classic Love And Other Catastrophes (while snogging Radha Mitchell; life is good for some). I honestly didn’t recognize her (The Girlfriend – my prime researcher – found this out for me). But she is the best acting one of the four. Miranda Otto doesn’t do anything for me; she may as well not be in the show that’s how immensely I don’t have an opinion on her. And then there’s Bonnie Sommerville as Caitlin The Almost Lesbian; what can I say… I’m always going to love a woman who snogs another woman on American prime time TV (although it is becoming a bit common these days, no?). It’s not a choice, it’s who I am.

Star of the show in Mistresses is of course Sarah Parish, who is looking hotter than ever. That’s more than enough for me. (In my world looking hot is an acting skill.) It’s a bit weird to see the anti-posh Sergeant Havers (Sharon Small) in fancy clothes or lingerie, but I got over it by now. Orla Brady is equally stunning as the tight-skirted lawyer who has an affair with a colleague. And then there’s Shelley Conn as Jess The Almost Lesbian (you may know her from yet another dyke movie: Nina’s Heavenly Delights) (I watched it last weekend and it’s OK, but what movie wouldn’t be OK if you’ve just seen Gray Matters…). She’s the wedding planner for a lesbian wedding and she ends up in bed with one of the lesbians. This made The Girlfriend say the following words: I want you to know that if we were ever to get married, which we won’t so don’t get your hopes up; and Shelley Conn was the planner and she would seduce me on my hen night; I wouldn’t say no. I could only agree.

Mistresses vs. TCM: 2-1.

Story/Drama/Fun
Mistresses has the advantage of having some clear story lines that are being developed over all the episodes. It did take me a while to really get into it, but at the end of episode 3 I was screaming for more. And what does The Cashmere Mafia have except the Desperate Housewives In The City With A Top Job Theme? Not a whole lot besides designer clothes. The only thing I’m interested in is whether Caitlin will swing back to The Other Side or not. Also, The Cashmere Mafia tries too hard to be funny while Mistresses is at times hilarious (Trudi in the fat burning bandages when her new lover rang the bell early had me in stitches). And we’re getting a threesome in the next episode, that should be fun.

Mistresses vs. TCM: 3-1.

Conclusion
Mistresses vs. The Cashmere Mafia: 3-1. Brits do it better.