Hm. I think you got it wrong ...
Question: Hm. I think you got it wrong with your lukewarm review of
The Riches. I read your
review of
The Riches in this week's TV Guide, and decided not to watch the show as a result. I don't have time to waste on a show that "is hard to believe and not much easier to embrace." Fortunately, the "new episode" choices that night were the shows
What About Brian and
The Black Donnellys. Yawn. So we flipped on
The Riches. Wow. Real actors.
Good actors. What a refreshing concept. The characters they portray? Believable. The premise? The "have-nots" almost magically step into the lives of "the haves." It's the American Dream. And I cannot wait to find out more about how this fish-out-of-water family struggles to hold onto their dream. This is a very good show with tons of potential to be great.
Answer: Hm. I thought maybe I got it wrong, too, after reading raves from many fellow critics whom I respect. I've got to say, that was the hardest review I've had to write so far this year, in part because ambivalence is the most difficult sort of opinion to express in a tight space. I wanted to love
The Riches, really I did. As one of my fellow critics told me, "It has you written all over it." And I did have good things to say about it. I touted its originality, put it in context with other risky FX projects (many of which I have touted for years), praised the acting of
Eddie Izzard and others, and declared that it was intriguing, if not (to me) compelling. Yet it was a mixed review to be sure, in part because I just don't buy the incredible setup, and find the "stealing the American dream" premise awfully obvious. I feel about
The Riches the way I have about certain HBO shows (
Six Feet Under, Big Love), which have their passionate defenders and critics but which I feel get too much praise just for being different. And yes, I do hold FX to that high HBO standard. The world of
The Riches just isn't one I see myself returning to enthusiastically for an indefinite period of time, a feeling that was only compounded as I continued watching the second and third episodes. But I am very pleased that the ratings were strong for the premiere, and I hope they hold up. And I do agree that given what else is on Mondays at 10 pm/ET, this show's the way to go. FX deserves to be rewarded for taking a risk like this, and giving actors like Izzard and
Minnie Driver such meaty roles. It's a big step up from
Dirt, praise be to the TV gods. And I plan to continue watching, with a very open mind. [Note to Linda: I apologize for editing out the references in your original question to
The Winner, which seemed ill-suited to an argument about this show. One's a silly guilty pleasure at best;
The Riches is much more ambitious and important a series, and one I imagine I will continue reviewing in depth as the show continues.]
