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Show:		7.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		7.0
Extras:		6.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Robert Berlinger
Writer(s):	Craig Wright
Starring:	Donald Sutherland • Lucy Liu • Natalie Zea • Peter Krause • William Baldwin • Zoe McLellan
Genre:	Television
Website:	http://abc.go.com/primetime/dirtysexymoney/index?pn=index
Release Date:	August 18, 2009

List Price:	DVD - $27.49
Amazon:

While it can be annoying to watch a show like Dirty Sexy Money that’s entirely about money and elitism while sitting in a small apartment and eating instant Mac & Cheese with a plastic fork you’ve been reusing since your Chinese food take-out from last week, it’s entertaining enough that you don’t feel too bad about yourself. This show teaches us that the rich are bigger screw-ups than we are, even though we haven’t bought reusable utensils.

Dirty Sexy Money is just that, sexy. The show is hot hot hot and most of that is due to its incredible cast. Peter Krause is a lucky man because he gets to play very interesting characters, but the men he plays aren’t as lucky as he. I won’t dwell on this too much (let’s face it, I tend to dwell on things), but isn’t it funny that Krause’s other major character before Nick George on Dirty Sexy Money had something in common with Nick? Krause played Nate Fisher on the HBO series Six Feet Under and similar to Nick, both men lose their fathers in the pilot episode of their respective television shows and are forced to take responsibility for their father’s businesses.

For Nate, he has to take his part in the family’s funeral home. Nick George has to take over his father’s law practice; and whereas Nate must deal with the dead, Nick must deal with the problems of the living. The really living. The Darling family is the wealthiest in New York and with money comes the excitement and the scandal. Tripp (or Patrick Darling III) is played by Donald Sutherland and, even though his eyebrows are a little startling, he does a lovely job at playing the Darling family backbone. William Baldwin (every good show has to have a Baldwin) plays Patrick Darling IV. Like his more famous brother Alec, William uses his dry voice to aid in his drier humor. Here’s an example: “My pretty wife, Mr. Cameron, is a belligerent drunk who calls me names in front of my children and takes swings at me in public. That is, when she’s not online ordering single barreled bourbon by the case.” Without a hint of a smirk this Baldwin gets the line off with humorous perfection.

Another great character in the show is Simon Elder, played by Blair Underwood (one of the few people on the planet who looks better with a well-kept goatee). You may remember Underwood from his character Dr. Robert on Sex and the City, where he also plays one of the smoothest men alive. Simon is one of New York’s richest men and is constantly in competition with Tripp for perceived “control” of Manhattan.

Anytime you have a show about a rich family filled with thirds and fourths, you know a lot of drama will ensue, especially when the III is loaded and the IV is a politician. Dirty Sexy Money is very dramatic and action packed in its small number of episodes, but has some funny moments too. The show only managed 10 episodes during its first season and then squeezed 13 into the second season, which would be its last. Even though the show only lasted 23 episodes in all, it feels like a lot longer because of the fact that in about five minutes of tape, you can be witness to a huge number of happenings, created by the large web of characters. You’ll see a lawsuit splintering as the defendant undresses with another person’s spouse.

This is how a good show works. It’s a machine; an army of characters that marches on, turning on top of itself to create new stories from previously used threads, pulling at them until it gets canceled. It's too bad Dirty Sexy Money isn’t returning for a third season, with Manhattan’s elite, there’s always more to be said.

DVD Bonus Features

It has a blooper reel! I love blooper reels. In addition to the gem of the extras, it has a segment with one of Dirty’s directors, which is interesting because it allows us to see how one person was able to handle an entire episode of narrative twists. You’ll get to spend some time with Natalie Zea who plays Karen Darling and one of the central characters. She’s probably most responsible for the word “Sexy” being part of the show’s title. And other than the deleted scenes, you’ll get a segment on the craft service person for the show’s set. I thought this one would be simply an excuse to slap on another extra, but it was actually pretty entertaining and it’s worth seeing.