By Karla Peterson
TELEVISION CRITIC

January 5, 2008

The “Sex and the City” movie won't be out for months, but if you are in desperate need of a fab fix, ABC's “Cashmere Mafia” is perfectly capable of sweeping you away. It's not as sumptuous as the real thing, but it's no itchy rip-off, either.

Making its debut tomorrow before settling into its regular 10 p.m. Wednesday time slot, this champagne-taste drama stars Lucy Liu as one of four business-school pals who have grown up to become Manhattan's most formidable ladies who power lunch.

But with great responsibility comes great problems, so while Mia (Liu) and her pals Zoe (Frances O'Connor), Juliet (Miranda Otto) and Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) conquer the worlds of publishing, finance, advertising and cosmetics, they must also deal with troublesome fiances, cheating husbands, disappearing nannies and sexual-identity issues.

Or as Zoe the frazzled working-mom says, “That whole having-it-all thing, I think it's a crock.”

DETAILS “Cashmere Mafia” When: Tomorrow at 10 Where: KGTV/Channel 10

But what a pretty crock it is. Executive produced by “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star, “Cashmere Mafia” traffics in the same fantasies that made the HBO series such an escapist treat. Reality may rear it unkempt head from time to time, but only so our designer-clad ladies can show it who's boss. Preferably over cocktails.

In “Cashmere Mafia,” no crisis is too big to be solved with a timely text message, and your high-powered friends are never too busy for an emergency brunch. And while the dialogue isn't quite as sharp as those “SATC” quips, and the characters are not nearly as distinct, Liu and her charming cast-mates give the show a respectably dishy buzz of its own.

As knockoffs go, “Cashmere Mafia” is a good one. It will never be mistaken for the original, but thanks to its solid construction and high-quality materials, it won't fall apart on you, either. If all fantasies were as sturdy as this one, we wouldn't need television.

Karla Peterson: karla.peterson@uniontrib.com; (619) 293-1275.

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