TVSquad

So I've been watching Hung (because I'm flattered that they'd base a show like that around me). It's proven to be a much more entertaining take on the premise than I expected. Thomas Jane and Jane Adams are simply perfect in their respective roles as the reluctant gigolo and his high-strung pimp. I was digging Anne Heche as his wife, and even getting his bizarre kids.

I didn't even know the show needed anything more, until Ray booked his most demanding and bizarre client yet and Natalie Zea (Dirty Sexy Money) sashayed into the room. Wow, did Hung need her. And I don't mean because she's gorgeous, though that certainly helps. What a new dynamic she's brought to everything.

I should point out that when I say "coming back this summer" in the headline I mean that ABC is bringing them back to burn off the remaining episodes that haven't aired yet. That's right, six months from now is the earliest you'll see any of these shows return. They could even come back later.

Pushing Daisies has three episodes left, while Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money each have four. Fans of these shows might not like this, but the truth is, the shows that have been in the time slots for these shows have actually done better in the ratings.

From March 14th to March 27th, The Paley Center for Media is presenting the twentieth-fifth annual William S. Paley Television Festival. The Paley Center, formerly the Museum of Television and Radio, says that the festival celebrates "television's rich and diverse programming and the creative process behind the medium." This year the festival included Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Pushing Daisies, Gossip Girl, and The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion.

Last night, I attended the Dirty Sexy Money panel. For what happened during the panel discussion, read on past the jump...

(S01E10) The Darlings certainly know how to prepare for the holidays, don't they? Not only did they have a performance of "The Nutcracker" in their living room, but they found time to battle Simon Elder. Every week it seems like another Darling is involved in the plot against Simon--I can't wait for Juliet and Jeremy to join the fray. The twins can be excused, however, since they were busy with their gorgeous significant others.

(S01E09) This week's Dirty Sexy Money featured a blast from the past: Dutch George. No, he didn't come back from the dead, but we did get to see what he was up to six months ago. In the present day, Brian had to face the music after his bribery attempt, Juliet returned, and Karen went on a big date. Oh, and a huge Darling secret was revealed! This show keeps getting better and better!

(S01E08) Last night's Dirty Sexy Money sent us off to our Thanksgiving celebrations with a lot to think about. We learned a little bit about Simon's beef with the Darlings, although it was hard to completely believe either side of the story. Letitia and Karen's plan to sabotage Nick's marriage entered phase one, and Patrick's marriage took an unusual turn. Meanwhile, Jeremy pretended to be poor and Brian pretended to be a caring father. The results of their efforts were varied.

(S01E07) This week, Dirty Sexy Money really proved its worth in the primetime soap category. No one has made a melodramatic declaration since the pilot, so I was happy to hear Tripp's vow to destroy Simon. Only a scheming billionaire can talk about destroying someone with any credibility, and Tripp pulled the scene off nicely. He also made for an amusing drunk.

(S01E06) No, red vests aren't the newest fashion trend; Jeremy actually became a valet on this week's Dirty Sexy Money. While Jeremy was learning the complexities of parking cars, the rest of the Darlings were dealing with some serious drama. Dutch's death is officially a murder, and two of the most likely suspects, Tripp Darling and Simon Elder, faced off in an epic poker game.

(S01E05) Is there such a thing as too much money? That was the question under debate on this week's Dirty Sexy Money. Believe it or not, Nick and the twins had similar thoughts in this episode. Each of them had to decide how to handle the Darling fortune, and each took a different approach after three eye-opening evenings.

(S01E04) At last, a Blair Underwood sighting! That mysterious "techno-philanthropist," Simon Elder, finally made a flesh and blood appearance on Dirty Sexy Money. Simon didn't do or say very much, but his limo's license plate put him right at the center of the Darling drama. This week's episode also had plenty of fun, soapy moments. I'm glad that the show hasn't shifted to either a straight-up drama or soapy comedy since the pilot--at the moment, both elements are being balanced well.

(S01E03) It turns out that the episode title didn't just refer to Paolo Vova, one of the Darlings' many bankers. It is also a sexual position, demonstrated by one of the Darling children in a raunchy sex tape. At first I thought that there would be a lot of suspense surrounding the identity of the Darling on the tape, but it ended up taking on comedic elements. I loved the interviews between Nick and the Darling children after Patrick was ruled out. You can learn a lot about the Darlings in a brief encounter, and Nick certainly did. Jeremy "had" a sex tape featuring Buddy Ebsen, Juliet is a "real, total virgin" (the first major difference between her and Paris Hilton), and Karen still remembers that mixed tape that Nick made for her. There wasn't a huge payoff at the end of the tape plot, but it did bring Nick closer to the mysterious Simon Elder.

(S01E02) This week, the show's over-the-top moments were swapped for more dramatic ones. Far more time was spent on the murder mystery and affair plotlines than on the crazy antics of the Darlings, and the show still worked for me. "The Lions" shed light on the unique father-son relationships that exist within the Darling family. Letitia said that "we're all capable of everything," and this episode certainly proved that.

(S01E01) After months of creative promotion, Dirty Sexy Money has finally arrived! While it has been listed as a drama, the show's premiere featured many hilarious moments. The Darlings actually remind me of the Bluth family from Arrested Development. Both families are wealthy and full of self-involved people who say the most outrageous things. "Well, you're poor!" has officially become my new comeback. Let's not waste any more time, though. Meet the Darlings:

We TV Critics are dead on our feet now that we're in the last two days of a near-three week press tour at the Beverly Hilton, but that hasn't stopped us from getting dish from actors and producers here to hawk their fall ABC series.

On stage to promote Cashmere Mafia (a series about four women living life in New York City) creator Darren Star was asked about his other program about four women that call the Big Apple home. Star says: "There's a [film] script. It's in the form of pre-production."

TV Squad reader Teri asks:

"Whatever happened to the ABC show Eyes?"

Thanks, Teri, for opening up an old, painful wound. I thought I had forgotten all about Eyes, the fantastic, quirky private eye series starring Tim Daly that ABC ran for a few episodes last year. And now you've gone and reminded all of us that it's gone. It's like an acid flashback.