The Riches (FX)

I wonder if anyone here has had the opportunity to see the new TV series called “The Riches” starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver? It debuted two weeks ago at the United States on the FX channel, and the third episode (or the second after the Pilot, however you wish to count them) will be aired later tonight.

I really love Izzard’s stand-up, and some of his acting has also been pretty good in movies like “Velvet Goldmine”, “The Avengers”, “The Cat’s Meow” and “Blueberry”. I am, however, still quite surprised just how good “The Riches” actually is. While the premise of the show is nothing terribly novel, in my personal opinion they have quite brilliantly fused relatively dark drama with witty comedy, and the result is really something quite extraordinary. The acting is also nothing short of being excellent, although Izzard’s accent is sometimes a bit strange (Hugh Laurie he ain’t).

If you haven’t yet seen a single episode of “The Riches” but have the opportunity to do so, do take a look! I know that it’s not for everyone’s tastes, but it is certainly for mine!

I might have to look at it. With two masters classes and teaching time is tough. I currently watch Heroes, House (with the amazing Hugh Laurie), and Numbers. In the summer I watched Eureka. I am an old Babylon 5 fan, so my TV habits are odd at best.

Do take a look. Although I think that I know what you mean about time being sparse with masters classes and teaching, as I am more than familiar with the situation!

I watch House, too, but in general have never been a big TV watching person. Apart from football (soccer, that is) and documentaries, I watch TV very little.

In fact, when I watch series, I usually wait until they come out on DVD or someone has recorded a whole season, and then watch the whole thing on my own pace. I have enjoyed in this way series like Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, American Gothic, Friends, Serial Experiments: Lain (anime), and some others. House and The Riches are the only series I actually try to catch every week.

We have a lot of choices regarding television. If I were so inclined I could keep up with the English League, but it is a time issue. Remember I am first generation American, so fussbol as we called it in my home was a way of life. Sporting events are things I tend to record and watch about two hours after they start. I can watch an American Football game in about 40 minutes, hockey in about an hour. I do the same thing for network TV, I can skip the commercials that way. Again it is a time issue. Do you get House at the same time we do?

Well, let’s just say that I don’t watch House on TV, if you know what I mean. I think they are still in Season 1 or maybe 2 in most of Europe.

I don’t know why, but I can never watch a recorded sporting event. Although there is very little logic behind it, a broadcast/recording that comes even half an hour late just doesn’t do it for me.

The Riches is easily my favorite new show of the season. I love the seamless blending of comedy and drama and the stores and characters are outstanding. I was actually shocked at just how good it was. I was xpecting to enjoy the show enough to follow it, i wasn’t expecting myself to fall totally in love with it. And luckily, it is on FX, where it won’t have to do amazing Nielson numbers to keep going. It can fliurish with a cult following, which it seems to be cultivating easily. Great, great show.