Emmywatch 2008: Can 'Dirty Sexy Money' clean up?

ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" arrives on the fall TV sked with an impeccable pedigree — created by playwright-turned-TV-scribe Craig Wright, who wrote for "Six Feet Under" and produced both "Lost" and "Brothers & Sisters." It's led by a cast of veterans including Emmy favorites Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh as the beleaguered parents of a dysfunctional brood and Peter Krause as the family's loyal legal fixer. However, with critical opinion divided, this Wednesday night newcomer rates only 65 at Meta Critic.

Of course, one episode does not a season make. Remember "Brothers & Sisters" also had growing pains, managing only a middling 51 at Meta Critic when it premiered last fall. That show parachuted in Greg Berlanti as exec producer with much success and he is performing the same role on this one.

Personally, I thought the pilot episode was a delight: "Dynasty" without the outrageous camp. I missed the camp, but its absence is probably a good thing as far as kudos go. "Dynasty" only won half of an Emmy despite 24 noms. (Poor Nolan Miller had to share the costume prize in 1984.)

As Newsday's Diane Werts writes about "Dirty Sexy Money": "This ABC hour lives up (down?) to its name, arriving as a wacky/kinky escapist saga of screwed-up rich folks and the down-to-earth family attorney/fixer hired to sort out their shenanigans. Think of it as a ditzy 'Dallas.' But this new-school soap also has some dramatic mystery: Who killed the new young attorney's old attorney father? And it has some heart, even more substantial than Sue-Ellen-hits-the-bottle-again. Best of all, 'DSM' has sparkling wit and a superb cast."

And Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times thought it, "smart, funny and utterly shameless — as Tripp Darling, Donald Sutherland wears the blinding white hair of Zeus and what looks to be one of Pavarotti's fur coats — this is a nighttime soap for those of us too snooty to admit we loved 'Melrose Place.' Edith Wharton, had she written for Defamer."

But Brian Lowry of Variety says that, "despite an unusually high-octane (and yes, reasonably sexy) cast ably led by 'Six Feet Under’s' Peter Krause, the pilot doesn’t quite gel — feeling too determined to be quirky and provocative, and baited with a mystery that lacks the allure of the suicide that set 'Desperate Housewives' in motion. Nevertheless, given the show’s asset, it would be premature to write 'Money' off as a loss just yet."

Our forum posters are equally ambivalent. Pacinofan says, "I was surprised at how 'Desperate Housewives' campy the show was, I thought it was going to be a serious drama, but I cannot deny I was damn amused by the whole thing and found most of the acting hilarious." And JBBoy writes, 'what a fun show. I cant wait to see where it goes. There was a lot going on that needs to be fleshed out, but it's a strong cast and I love the tone of the show." However, BuffyMars says, "Wow, was I bored to near death. This pilot was so campy and so cheesy and so not at all what I was expecting. Solid cast, good team behind the show, but the show was all over the place. I'm just not sure about returning to this one. There wasn't anything that left me wanting to see more."

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Gold Derby by Tom O'Neil

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