Not so Darling, by George! (Dirty Sexy Money)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Dirty Sexy Money
Date:	12/08/08 (213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The idea, script, acting

Disadvantages: A touch over the top at times but who cares!

Channel 4 has a real darling of a TV show for you these days. It called "Dirty Sexy Money" and is a drama with a comic twist with a touch of a mystery/thriller included. This is the story of Nick George, a lawyer whose father's main client was the Darling family. After Nick's father dies in a plane crash, Nick "inherits" the Darling account from his dad. While the Darlings are one of the wealthiest families in the country (perhaps the world), they're also a handful. Bit despite all the trouble they are known to be, Nick decides to take the job as their new attorney, partially because patriarch Tripp Darling has given him $10million to use for charitable causes as Nick sees fit, but mostly because Nick's father's death seems less than accidental. Nick figures the only way to find out who killed his father is to stay close to the well-connected, influential Darlings even with all their lies and intrigue. Talk about a juicy concept for a TV series - this is one of the juiciest around.

Normally, I'm not interested in the lives of the rich and famous, and have little to no sympathy for the types of problems obscenely rich people seem to have. However, this show puts together a group of people that look like a cross between the Kennedys and the Hiltons in influence, dysfunction and notoriety and more wealth than both of those plus Donald Trump and Bill Gates together. It's no wonder that they're all such a mess. Then there's Nick George played by Peter Krause ("Six Feet Under") at the other end of the spectrum trying to remain the forthright, honest and altruistic rudder of this very shaky boat. The cast here is chock full of big names including Donald Sutherland playing Tripp, Jill Clayburgh as his wife Leticia and William Baldwin as their eldest son, Patrick. This doesn't mean that the rest of the cast are lacking and while you might not recognize many of them, you'll certainly feel they're more than equal to be on the same screen with these more seasoned artists. Going into each and every one of them would bore you all to tears, so let's just leave it at this and mention that I find them all equally talented actors and a true pleasure to watch - both as individuals and in this ensemble.

On paper, this is touted to be a drama series but I have to say there's no small amount of humour in this as well. And while what we're laughing at is mostly about how ridiculous this family is and acts, there are other plenty of other things that will get you giggling as well. For instance, when Nick's secretary puts the Darlings' numbers into his phone, she gives each of them a hilariously appropriate ring tone. And of course, some of the character story lines are amusing as well. For instance, there's Rev. Brian Darling (played by Glenn Fitzgerald), whose foul mouth and mean spirit make him the most unlikely minister you'd ever meet, so it shouldn't surprise you to find out he's got an illegitimate son he's been hiding from his family.

But that's not even the half of it, and each episode brings more twists to the story, and when you think things just can't get any more weird or absurd, they bring in something else to throw you for a loop. And these loops are of roller coaster proportions, from millions of dollars spent on a birthday party to a senatorial hopeful being discovered kissing his transsexual lover in the street. And yet, no matter how amazing things get, it doesn't seem like these scripts are totally over the top - certainly not in light of some of the mind-boggling things that we've seen the rich and famous do of late. So, if you think of this show as a type of mirror on their world, then perhaps you can overlook the farcical, exaggerated, stereotypes they showcase here, and enjoy this program more for the fun of it.

But this doesn't mean they were totally wrong when they called this a drama series. You'll also find that the real story of this series is focussed on Nick George and how he discovers more about his own father now that he's dead then he ever knew of him in life. So while all the crazy Darling world is falling apart around him, he's still in there, trying to piece together his own past and see how that may influence his own life, family and actions in the future. In this way, we have the Darlings and their insanity with the Georges at the eye of their storm. It is precisely this juggling act that makes this show so interesting. And let's face it, what isn't to enjoy when America finally comes out with a prime-time soap opera that makes "Dallas" look like the "Teletubbies"? In short, I find the premises of this series to be fascinating, the acting, marvellous and the scripts, amazing. And while some of the time I feel I shouldn't be wasting my time watching wealthy people make fools of themselves, I guess it's like a train-wreck and I just can't seem to stop watching it. Because this is a guilty pleasure, I'll give this four out of five stars, but recommend you take a look.

Thanks for reading!

Davida Chazan © August 2008

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Technical Stuff:

As of writing this review, this show is currently showing the first season on Channel 4, and you guys are about three episodes ahead of me. Their official website for this show can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/59sopb

The DVD of the complete first season will only be available on Amazon after September 16.
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Summary: A new American prime-time Soap Opera that truly rich!