TVSquad

Several DVD sets came my way this week, so I did some marathon viewing sessions for Jane After Dark. I'm brand new to some of these, so you'll get the stark, raw newbie version. But I'll start with one I've watched since the beginning ...

Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete Second and Final Season. I really liked this show at the beginning. It had all the elements of a great series, including excellent actors (starting with Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, and Peter Krause) and intriguing storylines with rich people, sex, murder, and mystery. But by the time they got to season two, the storylines just seemed to fizzle out. I would love to hear your thoughts on why Dirty Sexy Money didn't work. Crummy writing? Poor use of great actors? Too many characters to keep track of? Poor timing with the writer's strike occurring in the middle of its run, resulting in ten months between seasons?

Bonus features: Directing the Darlings (behind the scenes with director Jamie Babbit); A Total Knockout (a day in the life of Natalie Zea, who played Karen); Dirty Sexy Crafty (a featurette about the food on the set); Faux Pas (bloopers); deleted scenes.

(S02E02) The Darlings had to bury one of their own this week, and they sent the deceased off in style. Sure, the eulogy was written about someone else and some of the mourners were arrested, but that's part of the fun of these events. The rest of the episode was business as usual--power struggles, inappropriate sexual partners, and suitcases filled with cash. No complaints here.

(S02E01) The Darlings are back! Despite all the behind-the-scenes personnel and casting changes, Dirty Sexy Money appears to be better than ever. Loyal fans were rewarded with a major development in last season's murder mystery, and the premiere gave new viewers plenty of reasons to come back for more. Season One feels like it ended ages ago, but "The Birthday Present" was the perfect refresher course in the elements of this gorgeous, twisted world.

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.

There's so much on television for which to be thankful: the returning favorites, the new obsessions, the comedic, and the dramatic. Fresh faces work with old pros to bring us shows ranging from artistic masterpieces to guilty pleasures. On a basic level, I'm thankful that I had some difficulty choosing only five things on TV to praise. Specifically, the five things that I chose have given me hours of thought-provoking, laughter-inducing entertainment.

Another brilliant season of Ugly Betty: There's nothing worse than watching your favorite new show lose its touch in the second season. Like all Ugly Betty fans, I'm thankful that the sweetest comedy on television has avoided the sophomore slump. The best elements from the first season--clever one-liners, heartwarming moments, and top-notch performances from the ensemble cast--have remained intact.

(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: