What's (not) on TV

I just completed season 1 of The Riches on DVD. The Riches was canceled after only two seasons on the FX network. It's a pretty great show, but there are definitely some pros and cons.

First of all, the show too closely resembles both Weeds (Showtime) and Big Love (HBO), both of which came out first. All three shows are dark comedies and all three story lines develop around an "abnormal" family trying to fit into suburbia. With Weeds it's a rich wife turned drug dealer after her husband dies. With Big Love it's a Mormon family with three wives trying to fit in without anyone knowing they're all married to each other. Finally, in The Riches it is a family of gypsies trying to act like everyone else. All three families try hard not to be found out and what keeps you watching is the constant threat to their family secret being unraveled.

Another con is that every episode starts with an intro, or a recap, that lasts about 2 minutes. It recaps everything that has happened since the beginning of the season. So, as you can imagine it gets longer with every episode. Also, I like Minnie Driver, but her fake southern accent gets under my skin quickly. A lot of the story line is highly predictable and mostly unbelievable, but then again sometimes that's what makes good television.

One of the pros is that Eddie Izzard is the main star. Not only is he extremely handsome, but his acting is quite good. He pretty much makes the show and if it weren't for him I probably would have stopped watching it after the first episode, which by the way was the worst of the season. He helped to write the series, and as a comedian I think he did a decent job of adding humor to the show.

I also have to give it credit for communicating realistic life lessons. There isn't always a happy ending, and not all the family lessons end with a hug and milk with cookies. The characters are honest and the show touches on controversial subjects without coming on too strong, but also without ignoring the issues completely. Oh, and it gets major props for using sociological terms and for bringing up the Protestant Ethic!

Overall, it's worth watching, but only because it's two seasons long. I have a feeling the catch and release style of the show would get old if it were to last much longer then that. I'm willing to give season 2 a try. With that said...I can't wait for the new Weeds and Big Love seasons to come out on DVD.

Short Fiction gives The Riches 3.5 stars.