Single women’s lives topic of new series WE documentary follows N.Y. dating scene

Think HBO’s hit comedy “Sex and the City” is an exaggeration?

Then you should check out “Single in the City,” premiering at 8 p.m. Sunday on WE: Women’s Entertainment.

The eight-part, documentary-style series follows 11 single women through a summer in the New York dating scene. It hammers home the point that there are five females for every eligible male, but some of the women featured don’t seem too fazed by that statistic. They’re the sharks in this dating pool. (Is there a term for the female equivalent of “womanizer”?)

As an example, there’s Sabrina, the Brit expatriate and hotshot trader on Wall Street. She’s out every night, checking out available men to see whose stock rises. She’s giggly and shameless about acting as much like a man as any of the males she meets.

Then there’s lingerie model Allison. She’s trying out one guy, but she still hasn’t quite gotten around to breaking up with her boyfriend of a year and a half. One night, she’s out with her new male, when she discovers her current boyfriend is at the same club. Quelle dilemma.

The Barracudas are a man-hungry quartet who have formed a sort of singles support group, sharing bad experiences and advice, lipstick and jewelry. They’re a little older and a little wiser about what obstacles women in the dating scene face.

About the most sympathetic character is Lauren, a self-professed BAP (Black-American Princess) who is taking time off from her law career to pursue her twin passions of music and interior design. She openly bemoans the inability of many men to handle a truly independent woman. After debating a misogynistic black Muslim on the street, she proclaims, “If he’s the last man on earth, may God strike me lesbian.”

Many of the viewers out in the hinterlands will be shaking their heads at these women. But at least they’re being honest in their behavior. That’s certainly more than anyone can say about the contestants in those far-too-numerous “reality” game shows.