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 - The Riches, Season 1Oh, man! I loved, loved, loved this series. I didn't know what it was about, but heard some really great buzz that it was well worth watching! And the buzz was right! This series takes you away to another way of living, which is so different from the norm. The acting and storyline are both superb! I can't wait to order Season 2! Rating: - Get ready for the most fun you'll ever have getting conned out of a peaceful evening...I've never been the type of person to get excited over television. I like my sitcoms because they're easy to follow, even if you miss a week, and reruns barely ever get old (I think I've seen every episode of `Friends' twelve times over), but aside from that I really can't say that the idea of following a shows premise all season long interests me. It's easy for me to miss a week and then find myself lost and wondering what is going on. There are really just a few shows I've watched religiously; `The Sopranos' being one, another being the early seasons of `Nip/Tuck' (I lost faith after the disastrous third season). Well, you can add `The Riches' (as well as `Damages') to that short list. As we head further into season two I feel compelled to write my review of the first season before too much blurs together. Like I said, following a show all season long seems like a daunting task for me. When that show sinks its claws into you and refuses to let go though, you find it much easier to plop down in front of the TV every Tuesday night. That's how things went for me with `The Riches'. After deciding the `Nip/Tuck' was so behind me I needed to find something to fill that void. I happened to stumble onto a encore showing of the pilot for this new `provocative' show called `The Riches' and within the first few minutes I was hooked. Watching this cute little girl con someone then turn around and reveal that he was a cute little boy was enough for me; I was in. The shows premise is that of a traveling family (modern day gypsies), the Malloy's. Dahlia has just been released from prison and her husband Wayne and three kids (Di Di, Cael and Sam) have come to bring her home. Dahlia has her own set of problems, most instigated from the time she's just finished serving, but when Wayne decides that the life of a traveler is just not for them anymore the Malloy's find themselves in a hole heap of trouble. Segregated from the rest of their traveling family, which includes Dahlia's crazy cousin Dale, the Malloy's find themselves on the run for their lives. When an unfortunate accident costs a young wealthy couple their lives Wayne and Dahlia see this as an opportunity to change the course of their lives. Taking on the identity of Doug and Charlene Rich, the Malloy's are now living the `American Dream', but is it really all they could have hoped for. The show at times may stretch the boundaries of reality, but that is what makes it so much fun. The writers are smart enough to make what on the outset may appear implausible seem completely doable. Looking at the situations Wayne and Dahlia find themselves and the ways they purpose to survive them is enthralling and exciting beyond belief. What's so great about `The Riches' is that it asks the viewer to really examine what makes them happy. As Wayne tries to turn his families life around and create a more stable and `normal' environment for his children he ultimately finds himself sacrificing the morals he has already set for them, and while Dahlia tries to support her husband she finds that her life is becoming more and more miserable by being someone that she doesn't want to be. The children also have to adjust and decide if they even want to pursue a `normal' life if it forces them to change who they are inside. The acting is superb here. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are phenomenal as Wayne and Dahlia Malloy. Izzard has impeccable control and becomes the stability in the show, while Minnie steals every scene with her acting range and emotional temperance. She conveys so much realism with her performance, it's captivating and touching. All three actors who play the Malloy children are flawless. Noel Fisher captures Cael's rebelliousness which is really nothing short of his outward display of disapproval with his parent's new lifestyle. Aidan Mitchell is adorable as young Sam, the gender-bending son who can't seem to decide just who he really is. But it is Shannon Woodard who really shines brightest here as Di Di, the smart and yet torn daughter who battles herself with their new life, wondering if it's perks outweigh it's disadvantages. Each episode is littered with superb supporting performances by Gregg Henry who plays Wayne's outlandish new boss as well as Margo Martindale who plays their nosey yet caring neighbor Nina. I can't think of a flaw here, at least not one large enough to deter anyone from enjoying the entire season. Season two has now officially begun and is building strong on its first season so I truly only see good things to come at this point. `The Riches' help make my Tuesday nights all that much more interesting and hopefully they can do the same for you. Leave it to FX to create something new and exciting and completely worthwhile. I may have just been conned out of my Tuesday evenings, but it was well, well worth it. Rating: - WATCH ITThis show is fantastic. I've seen every episode, some a few times. I can't wait for it to come on every week. Rating:  - Good story, excellent actorsInteresting story about white "Bohemians" trying to impersonate an upper class family... The challenge to make situations (the father has to become a lawyer...) believable is quite met by the writers. Very good acting, stunning Minnie Driver. Rating: - SpellbindingCannot stop watching "The Riches." This series pulls you in and won't let go. Eddie is a great actor.
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