“The Riches” Premiers of F/X

When cable TV first appeared, the companies behind it sold the promise of a vast anti-wasteland of quality programming around the clock. Then, the reality hit; there just wasn’t enough content. Belatedly, cable networks have begun producing quality series here and there, e.g., “The Sopranos,” “Dexter,” and “Big Love.” F/X Network, one of the Fox family of networks, has already given the viewers an edgy cop show called “The Shield.” Monday night, it premiered “The Riches,” a series that could very well give F/X a franchise to rival HBO and Showtime’s adult drama series.

The show follows a family of grifters in the South, the Malloys. Led by father Wayne (played by stand-up genius Eddie Izzard) and his just-out-of-prison wife Dahlia (the extremely talented and under-appreciated Minnie Driver), the Malloys are Travelers, a nomadic bunch who live on their wits and others’ money. At Dahlia's welcome home party, the Malloys steal the treasury of their very extended family and make a run for it. They are in a dreadful accident in which Doug and Cherien Rich die. So naturally, the Malloys steal their identities and wind up living in the McMansion that the Riches just purchased. Or more succinctly, as Mr. Izzard said, “Wayne has to lie and cheat his way into legitimacy.”

Ms. Driver, who hasn’t had the commercial success her talent merits, has a fantastic role as Dahlia. “When I read this, it was just and away the best part I’ve ever been offered. As a woman in film, there’s maybe four actresses who get the really [great roles] — they’re mostly called Kate,” she observed. Truth be told, there may well only be four great roles for actresses anyway – shame on the writers in TV and film.

The big question: is it a comedic-drama, or a dramatic satire, or what? The critics can’t seem to decide, and in TV, being unable to categorize a program makes a great many people uncomfortable. The original pilot, filmed a year ago, came out too emotionally and morally dark, so some of it was re-shot with a new director who added some more humor. That and the fact that Mr. Izzard is most famous for doing 90 minutes of stand-up in drag may have viewers confused for a bit.

Eventually, that problem will go away as the series will either be a huge success or it will sink in a matter of weeks. It is one of those programs that probably can’t be mediocre, and that’s just as well. There’s plenty of that on the box on other stations.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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