The Girl's Guide to Depravity

Cinemax's attempts to take its late night programming in a more sophisticated, less explicit direction have been a hit-or-miss mixed bag to this point, but "The Girl's Guide To Depravity" -- inspired by a blog of the same name -- gets the formula right. With its emphasis on well dressed women dispensing dirty nuggets of wit and wisdom, the series evokes obvious comparisons to "Sex & The City". However, the rules (an irreverent set of dating tips followed by the main characters) pave a path to pretty generous helpings of sex and nudity, so there's plenty here for guys to enjoy. We are talking depravity, after all, not touchy feely fare you'd find on Oprah's network.

"Girl's Guide" is written with genuinely edgy humor ("Oh, will you look at the time, I am late for my abortion!") and shot with creative visual flair by feature film director Alex Merkin. Perhaps most importantly, it boasts a very attractive, likable cast. Sally Golan dishes out Lizzie's blunt, sarcastic one-liners with aplomb and has great chemistry with Rebecca Blumhagen, a seriously adorable comedic/dramatic find who brings warmth and vulnerability to the role of unlucky-in-love Sam. Of course, it doesn't hurt that both actresses look spectacular in various states of undress.

Will "The Girl's Guide To Depravity" satisfy the segment of Cinemax's audience that demands a gynecologist's eye view of hardcore porn stars? Maybe not...but its pitch perfect blend of laughs and eroticism is a not-so-guilty pleasure for the rest of us.