tvview.tv - Daily Television Magazine - Primetime TV Listings Guide, News, Reviews, Chat, Blog.

Editor's TV Show Reviews

Click Here To Return To tvview.tv Editor's Reviews Menu

 Dirty, Sexy, Money.

(September 20th, 2007. - Editor)          Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”), Donald Sutherland (Commander in Chief), Jill Clayburgh (Running with Scissors), William Baldwin (The Squid & the Whale), Natalie Zea (Eyes), Glenn Fitzgerald (Six Feet Under), Seth Gabel (The Da Vinci Code) and Samaire Armstrong (The O.C.) star in the continuing drama Dirty, Sexy, Money. The one hour drama will air Wednesdays on ABC this fall.

      Lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause) has a theory. Money is the root of all evil. He may be right. He grew up in the shadow of the Darling family, the richest and most powerful family in New York. His father, Devlin George, worked for the Darlings as their attorney. As a result of his position, he was able to give his family many comforts, but he was also kept very busy attending to the needs and whims of a spoiled, rich, group of people who were used to getting what they wanted, when they wanted it. As an adult, Nick rebelled by becoming an idealistic lawyer who is trying to help those in need. Suddenly, his father’s suspicious death drags him back into a world he swore to himself and to his wife that he had put behind him forever. Patrick "Tripp" Darling III (Sutherland) convinces Nick to take over his father’s former job as their personal lawyer, by offering him the chance to do even more for his charities and causes. But the money is only part of the reason he accepts the position. Nick knows that in order to get to the truth about how his father died, he will need a way to quietly look into the activities of each family member. He will need to discover who stood to gain the most, or lose the most, when his father's private airplane plunged into the ocean while on the way to a Darling family function at their summer estate on Martha's vineyard.

      Each member of the Darling family has a secret. From the soon to be Senator Patrick Darling IV (Baldwin), who needs Nick to help him to break off a fling the politician and attorney is having with a transsexual prostitute. To the Reverand Brian Darling (Fitzgerald), who needs Nick to help him to help get his bastard son into an upscale boarding school without admitting the child is his. To Jeremy Darling (Gabel), who first wins a yacht in a poker game and then discovers he is being arrested for being the employer of a crew full of illegal immigrants. To Karen Darling (Zea), who has loved Nick since they were both children together, but despite a fling they had as young adults, she was never able to get him to love her, or even marry her for her money like so many other men are willing to do. And Juliet Darling (Armstrong), refuses to believe that she has no talent as an actress and is frustrated that he father continues to buy roles for her by bankrolling Broadway plays. Parents Letita (Clayburgh) & Tripp Darling also have their secrets, including Letita's 40 year-long secret love affair with Nick's father. Nick will be forced to learn more about these people than he ever wanted to know, if he is to get to the bottom of the mystery and insure that whoever killed his father, gets the justice they deserve.

      The pilot episode of the series is not a real indicator of how popular the series will ultimately be. The first episode spent much of its time introducing us to the large and diverse cast and giving us just a few hints at the background plot twists that may or may not play out in episodes to follow. If there is a weakness in the first episode of this serial drama, it is that Writer and Executive Producer Craig Wright (Brothers & Sisters) has used every stereotype possible, every cliché he can wedge in and every outrageous character he can create, in the Darling family. A lot of credit must be given to the casting department for taking these nearly impossible characters and finding strong, credible, actors to play them. By giving us a few familiar faces in the cast,  they have given the audience a chance to feel at least a little familiar with the characters from the onset. From here, it will be up to the actors to create the buzz to build an audience, or not. Wright and his writing staff must provide sharp, interesting scripts that will save the cast from becoming trivial. If they don't get that support, this series will quickly be lost among several other character dramas who will all be trying to attract the same audience this fall.

      If the past is an indication of what we can expect in the future, the combination of this volatile cast and the ABC television Network should keep the tabloids very busy next fall and throughout the next TV season. I'm not sure why, but nearly every hit TV series on this network seems to face in-fighting among the cast and trouble on the set at some point. Each show manages to come up with a different problem, but trouble is the one thing they have in common. The sheer size of this cast suggests that there will be struggles over who gets how many lines and how much camera time by episode two. That should create all the publicity this show will need, and then some.

      This show has the potential to be as good or even better than the best serial dramas ever. Dynasty and Dallas may have met their match in this wild ride of a series. But it will take crafted scripts and top-notch acting to keep it from turning into one outrageous stunt after another. I'm rooting for this show. If we get some solid entertainment out of episodes two and three, there is a chance that this one will survive the season.

-- Editor --

All Content Copyright © 2009 TVVIEW.TV - All Rights Reserved.