The Must-See TV show this summer is about the state of splitsville.

The Starter Wife on USA Network (http://www.usanetwork.com/series/starterwife) is Hollywood divorce with vengeance. A movie producer dumps his wife for a younger woman, and her star plummets instantly. The mini-series is based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer, wife of movie producer Brian Grazer.

We don’t have to read the book or watch the TV series to know this story. The ‘burbs are full of ex–wives—each with a different story, but many in need of help. Hundreds of women like that joined support groups or attended job training classes at the Center for Women (www.centerforwomennj.org) in Livingston last year.

One recently divorced woman who attends group meetings there says she likes the center because it is her place. He isn’t in the room. It gives her a little strength, she says.

“I think the biggest problem with divorce [is] you never can break-up,” she told us. “You constantly have to deal with the person, so you can’t separate yourself emotionally.”

Center coordinator Jill Kapleau says the biggest benefit for these women is the peer support. “If they are feeling particularly miserable at 3 a.m. they can’t call their friend who has a husband sleeping next to them,” she says. Kapleau says the biggest issue for many women is affordable legal advice.

Attorney Melinda Singer has specialized in family law, and spent years running the legal services program for a women’s center in Englewood.

She thinks women can help themselves by using the Internet. You can find everything from sample property settlements to how to debrief a potential divorce lawyer.

“Knowledge is power, she says. “If you know what you have do, that will eradicate some of that fear.”

Besides the internet, the safety net of agencies like the Center for Women is listed on the Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey. (www.dhnj.org).

So this summer, watch The Starter Wife. But if this is your real life… these folks can help you cope with your personal drama, and re-start your life.