The Riches

Curious as to your thoughts on this debut. Frankly, I found it disturbingly uneven. I say this because there are elements here that are very compelling and make me desperately want the show to succeed. Yet, there are also components to the show that are so gut-wrenchingly awful that I want to go on a killing spree.

For example, I love the fact that there is the potential to delve into modern day gypsy culture. There has been very little written about these people and even less in terms of main stream television (Although it should be noted that at least two TV shows have had individual episodes with this theme in the not so distant past - Without a Trace and House.) I like the mother's little helper angle with the drug addict neighbor.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned positives are completely offset by some of the worst accent problems I have ever heard. I am not sure how Minnie Driver's southern accent could be more annoying. It is completely inauthentic and is really a crappy amalgam of Georgian, Tennessean and Texan drawls. Certainly, nothing like the gulf coast denizen her character purports to be. Beyond that, shouldn't Eddie Izzard's character have a nearly identical accent? Aren't they part of the same clan of Travelers? Did they think that this would just escape all of the viewers attention?

The lack of similarity aside, what is truly stunning is that Izzard's British accent creeps in on occasion. Are they on tight budget? Are they just doing one take for each scene? Hell, unless the show is being done live, there is no excuse for this. How hard is it to say, " Eddie, we are going to have to keep doing this until you can square away which side of the fucking pond you are on. This ain't the East End you limey prick." I guess he is the executive producer, so folks probably would need to be a bit more polite to him when asking about that.

This leads me to the worst part of the show which is Minnie Driver's hair in the first few scenes after her release from prison. What the hell is up with this "gay for the stay", ghetto fabulous hair style? Has anyone ever looked worse with corn rows (Bronson Arroyo excepted)? She is not a handsome woman to begin with. Why would anyone want to ugly her up any more than God already has?

At any rate, I am sure you all have your own lists of praise and petulance. Let's hear what you've got.