Watching: The Riches

Pilot

Well, I'm comparing all sorts of shows to Hustle these days, particularly ones centered are cons and robbers. This means that I'm not quite satisfied with The Riches, as it has none of Hustle's slick, stylish, fun . (I suppose one could call that "realism," if one was something of a wet blanket.)

Then again, FX isn't known for light fluffy fare (The Sheild, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck), so I might have seen that coming. I mean, the whole premise of the show is that after having a hand in these peoples' deaths, this family steals their identities and takes over their lives. Even setting aside the con artist/petty criminals angle, we've already seen Dad beat someone to a bloody pulp and Mom is a drug addict. Something else about the characters will need to balance out the whole Buffy-Season-Five of it. There's dramatic... and then there's just plain grim.