'Will & Grace' star Debra Messing returns in 'The Starter Wife'

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - The USA Network has done a good job in recent years of scheduling original programming that appeals to male viewers. "Burn Notice," "Monk," "Psyche," "The Dead Zone" and "The 4400" have been bigger lures for the guys than the gals.

Now, the cable channel has a huge draw for female viewers. "The Starter Wife," a short-run miniseries in 2007, attracted more female viewers than any show in the USA Network's history. At least that's what Bonnie Hammer, president, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions, told television critics in July.

Hammer's appearance at the Beverly Hilton Hotel was to announce "The Starter Wife" will return as a series. The first episode airs at 9 p.m. EDT Friday on the cable channel.

The series, based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, stars "Will & Grace" graduate Debra Messing. She plays a woman who must start life anew after she loses her wealthy husband. Messing's character starts writing and at some point actually pens a screenplay.

Messing did not have to see ratings demographics to know that a lot of women connected with the original miniseries. She was approached at airports across the country by women who identified themselves as "starter wives." The reaction outside Los Angeles was particularly pleasing for Messing, as the miniseries focused on Hollywood. But, as Messing found out in all those airports, the themes and issues reached a more universal audience.

Yet the Hollywood aspects, says Messing, gave the miniseries additional ways to tell the story.

"I think a lot of the thing that I love about the show is that the comedy is satire about the world of Hollywood and the kind of people, the values, that everything is skewed but has sort of happy music around it all the time," Messing says.

A continued effort to create this satire was unexpected. Executive producer and writer Sara Parriott explains the original plan was only to adapt the book into the miniseries. But it was hard to ignore the large ratings numbers among females and the 10 Emmy nominations. And so the series was born.

Even Messing never imagined during the filming of the miniseries that a series would follow. But the actress is excited about returning to the role.

"It feels amazing to be on a new show, because it's something that is so different from my last experience in every way," Messing says. "And so it has new challenges.

"I do have to say that once we were talking about making it a full series, it was very important to me that it just be picking up from where we left off. That it not be a spin-off. That it still maintain the same comic voice. That it still have the same tone, the sophistication, the wide range from naturalism to broad comedy, and to bring back characters that were very beloved."

And those returning players include Judy Davis, Hart Bochner and David Alan Basche.

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THE STARTER WIFE

9 p.m. EDT Friday

USA Network

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© 2008, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).