Not only has Bravo decided to renew its first scripted series, Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce, for a third season; it has given the show a rare three-season pickup, securing its future through seasons four and five as well. Deadline reports that the three-season package deal is usually reserved for more established series like (shudder) The Big Bang Theory, pole-vaulting Girlfriends’ Guide into an elite TV crowd.
Bravo’s serious commitment frees up the series to explore more long-term storytelling: less soapy, more end-game ramifications on how the dissolution of this marriage will affect fortysomething Abby (Lisa Edelstein)’s life. The show is based on the real-life experiences of the author of the Girlfriends’ Guide book series for new moms, Vicki Iovine, who had a very public divorce from music mogul Jimmy Iovine in 2009.
The somewhat-under-the-radar series improved in its second season, with exemplary episodes written by TV-excellence vet (and show creator) Marti Noxon, as well as Edelstein and co-star Paul Adelstein, who plays her ex, Jake. The show offers kind of a decade-older Sex And The City on the West Coast (with fabulous clothes and homes), featuring women who refreshingly discuss their careers as much as their relationships. The season-two finale, which featured Delia’s destroyed wedding as well as Abby’s first hot flash, hit a series high of 1.2 million viewers. Emboldened by Girlfriends’ success, Bravo is moving on to other scripted shows, renewing Odd Mom Out for a second season, and developing new series My So-Called Wife (working title, but that’s a great title).