Who did it Better?: Mistresses – UK vs. US

A couple of weeks ago the new Alyssa Milano show, Mistresses, premiered on ABC. Thanks to the wonderful world of twitter I found out the show was an adaptation of a British series. I checked out the American version after it aired and I was underwhelmed. Since the British version is available on Netflix, I decided to give it a go as well. The adaptation respects most of the plot lines [even some scenes from the pilot]; but, at the same time, it is completely different.

So, comparisons seem to be in order. Mistresses is the story of four female friends, each one involved in a complicated relationship. All the British characters have their American counterparts:

[SPOILER ALERT: The following contains general spoilers for Volume 1 of Mistresses UK and up to episode 4 of Mistresses US]

The Party Girl – Jessica (Shelley Conn) vs. Josslyn (Jes Macallan)

As I wrote in my REVIEW, my main issue with US Mistresses was that I felt they were trying too hard to be “risqué”. On the other hand, with the UK version, they weren't attempting to be anything other than a good drama. Interestingly enough two of the sexiest [and edgiest] plot lines of the British version were SO watered down in the American series; I didn't even realize they were happening. One of these plot lines involves the “party girl” character (Jessica/Josslyn). On both shows the character is a woman with commitment issues. She prefers to sleep with married men because it is the easiest way to avoid any and all emotional attachments. Suddenly, this woman finds herself falling in love… with a woman, a married woman no less. The storyline is very compelling in the UK version. The other woman is played by Anna Torv (Fringe) and she does a wonderful job. The fact that it is a girl/girl relationship is completely irrelevant, because it is really about someone finding true love for the first time and learning it can be the greatest source of joy and suffering at the same time. As I said, in the American version, there is also “party girl” (Josslyn), there is a couple of lesbians and I really can’t tell where that is going. It’s almost like they are scared of that plotline. Furthermore, the British character played by Shelley Conn (Terra Nova) is very relatable, putting up a strong front but hinting her hidden vulnerabilities. Oppositely, American Josslyn strikes me as a girl who just wants to have fun and I don’t really feel any emotional connection with the character.

The gullible mom – Trudi (Sharon Small) vs. April (Rochelle Aytes)

Once again, same character, same story-line. A widow raising her kids alone after her husband died is shocked to discover he had an affair and has another son. Trudi (UK) is incredibly likable and realistic. She acts and looks like a struggling single mom.  April (US) is a character I have absolutely no sympathy for. I think, in grand part, I dislike the American character because the actress does not have enough emotional depth. However, it is also a matter of the writing. I don’t get her behavior and her dialogue is too on the nose and oftentimes annoying. In addition, she looks like she spends 3 hours at the hair salon every morning, not exactly a realistic single mom look, if you ask me. Because of all the changes, the American character storyline feels particularly soapy, while the British version is simple and compelling.

The cheating lawyer – Siobhan (Orla Brady) vs. Savannah (Alyssa Milano)

I really don’t have anything against Alyssa Milano. I grew up watching Who’s the boss? Like so many others and enjoyed the preposterous episodes of Charmed during my teens. But, to be honest, I don’t immediately think “lawyer” when I look at her. Maybe she could have gone to law school if she wanted, what the hell do I know? But she doesn't really look like a lawyer. Orla Brady [she was also on Fringe BTW] was cast in the UK version. Orla is a gorgeous woman, but has more subtle beauty than Alyssa and she is much more believable as a lawyer. Again, the plot is the same: A lawyer, struggling to have children with her distant husband, has a fling with someone at her office and ends up pregnant as a result. In this case, I like the British character more, but I don’t dislike the American character. Alyssa actually did a pretty good job and it is probably my favorite character from the US version. Alyssa was paired with Jason George (Grey’s Anatomy), who plays the man with whom she has the affair. That is the one character, I think was better cast in the American version than the British one. Jason George is totally believable as the flirty player, yet remains likable. The British actor wasn’t as charming. Moreover the love scene between these two characters was the only one truly hot in the American pilot. The rest of the supposedly “sexy” scenes in that version were underwhelming. Having said all that, Orla Brady does an outstanding job in the UK version, elevating her character above what I’ve seen in the US show so far.

The unethical doctor: Katie (Sarah Parish)  vs. Karen (YunJin Kim)

This character has the most interesting storyline on both versions. In summary Katie/Karen is a doctor who had an affair with her terminally ill patient. After she plays a part in his assisted suicide, she is approached by his son. The son develops a fixation with her and in the UK version they end up having an affair. I guess that’s where they are going with the US version as well (they’ve kissed so far), but it looks like something else entirely.  Let’s discuss the character of the son, named Sam Grey on both versions. They may have the same name, but the characters and the actors are very different. American Sam is a 20 year old KID. He looks young and acts young. He doesn’t look like the kind of younger man an older confident woman would desire. British Sam is a 24 year old MAN. The UK character is played by Max Brown. He is charming and sexy; it is easy to believe the much older Katie may fall for him. The attraction and flirtation between British Sam and Katie is palpable from the beginning, while American Sam and Karen are just awkward. In the US version, this arc is more creepy than sexy. It feels wrong, somehow and it didn’t have to be the case. They did the “younger man/older powerful woman” thing very well on shows like Lipstick Jungle. I am also not sure about the decision to cast YunJin Kim on the role (US). I was excited to see her back on TV, but this is not really the role for her. She has a very quiet strength, but this character called for an imposing, confident woman. Watching Mistresses US, I feel they stripped YunJin of all her charm; don’t know if it is the bad casting, the writing or the fact she is not speaking Korean, but I am really not connecting with her. Plus I am having a hard time picturing YunJin with anyone other than Daniel Dae Kim, but that’s not really the issue.

So, who did it better? Well obviously my personal opinion is that UK did it better. It has a lot to do with the casting choices but also with the styling and tone of the show. The American version fails to be as racy as they pretend to be, doesn’t have the flirty charm of shows like Lipstick Jungle and lacks the emotional depth of the original British show. If you think it is an interesting premise, but aren’t impressed with the ABC show I strongly recommend watching the UK version on Netflix.