You'll Never Get (The) Rich(es)

Missed the premiere of "The Riches" Monday night (though it seems to have gotten off to a good start in the ratings without me). If you don't know the idea of the series., here's something quick that'll bring you up to speed.

Corey took to it and thinks it's really good, so I tried the rerun this morning. The following is slightly revised from an e-mail I just sent him:

I thought it was good, not great. I like that it seems to be more complex than the ads made it seem; that you can't necessarily describe it in 30 words or less. I'm a bit worried about whether it'll be able to maintain the pace and tone-there are sinkholes all around-but I'd definitely watch another episode. Maybe more.

Particularly well-acted and directed, I thought, with Eddie Izzard especially strong. I didn't think Minnie Driver was always as great, but perhaps her work will grow on me. Some of it is not her fault as much as the writer's choice-the heroin addiction seems like it could get tired really fast.

Shannon Marie Woodward (far right), who plays the older daughter, was also a standout in my opinion.

I noticed the way she watches the other characters when they're talking, as though she's really listening to and thinking about what they're saying.

This is one of the signs of a good actress, to me.

Also, for those of you interested, in looks she's very very very very close to Keitha. Even down to some of her costumes-though maybe not so much the one above (A pink-and-gold skirt? Keitha would kill me if I even so much as thought of putting her in one of those).

And in the "TV is such a small world" department, Noel Fisher, who plays the older son, was the 15-year-old patient who committed suicide in front of Huff in the pilot of that series and another cast member, Gregg Henry, plays Rory's boyfriend's dad on "Gilmore Girls."