Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 09/30/2008 Run time: 616 minutes Rating: Nr

British comedian Eddie Izzard (Glorious, Dressed to Kill brings his raffish charisma to The Riches, a sneaky satirical drama about a family of con artists who lie their way into a wealthy gated community. Wayne and Dahlia Malloy (Izzard and Minnie Driver, Grosse Pointe Blank) are travelers--a kind of American gypsies--who get in trouble with their clan and have to hit the road with their three kids (Shannon Woodward, Noel Fisher, and Aidan Mitchell). When a confrontation with other travelers causes a deadly car accident, the Malloys take over the dead couple's brand-new home--a mansion bought over the Internet--and assume the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Rich. The premise stretches plausibility, but that's part of the fun; any successful con game forces the mark to accept something absurd, because why would anyone tell such a preposterous lie? The pleasure of trickery drives the show. Wayne weasels his way into a job as lawyer to an obnoxious real estate developer; Dahlia persuades a private school to admit her kids after the admission deadline; and the kids find their skills serve them well in the surface-obsessed suburban world. But over the course of the thirteen-episode season, the Malloys' wily architecture of lies grows increasingly precarious, constantly threatened by fear of exposure and vengeful travelers. The final episode builds to a nerve-wracking crisis as someone who actually knows the dead couple comes to visit. Ironically, some of the most compelling moments are flashes of honesty--in an early episode, oldest son Cael realizes that the traveler girl he loves has set him up, and the two stare at each other across a diner table, wordlessly brokenhearted. The entire cast is great--Woodward shines as smart, conflicted daughter Di Di, and Margo Martindale (Paris, je t'aime, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) routinely steals scenes as the Rich's unhappy neighbor. But The Riches rests on Izzard's shoulders; though Driver's acting chops are more polished (and her Southern accent is more consistent), Izzard captures the soul of a man who lives by his wits, a man who navigates the world with a wink and a stream of beguiling words. The Riches - Season 1 includes a couple of chatty commentaries and flimsy featurettes, but the best extra is a series of short webisodes of Izzard teaching Woodward and Fisher assorted cons; the family chemistry is delightful. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond The Riches: Season One

More from Eddie Izzard

More from Minnie Driver

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Not really a comedy, sometimes stressful, sometimes insightful. Ends with a question mark, probably due to the writers' strike.

After watching this series you may find yourself comically questioning the authenticity of the professionals in your life. Pop it in, put on the popcorn and enjoy.

I love the Riches. I was in love with Eddie Izzard and his stand-up already when I found out about the Riches. I bought the Season 1 box set and watched it, no joke, from start to finish with hardly a pause for meal and toilet breaks. Yeah, the DVDs are over ten hours in total... It's that good. Since I bought it, I have watched the whole season again TWICE through. I LOVE THE RICHES!!

The special features on the DVDs are great. There is a gag reel (always my favorite) and two episodes (the pilot and finale) have commentaries. I would have, of course, liked more special features - more commentary, more behind-the-scenes, but that's just because I love Eddie so much that I always want more.

My only complaint about the DVDs is that there is no "Play All" for the episodes, of which there are 2-4 per DVD (4 discs in total). You have to select each episode and then "Play". All in all, it's not really a problem. Queer as Folk does the same... meh.

Anyway, buy this set, watch it, watch it again, and write to Fox asking for them to bring back a third season!!!!! It's not officially cancelled yet, so don't give up!

Excellent. However, a word of warning. Causes family fights when one person watches an episode without waiting for others. You must restart the dvd often as family members enter the room in mid-episode.

The Riches was a surprisingly great show with a different spin on family drama. Izzard and Driver are great as the con artist parents of the soapy dysfunctional family whose lives they take over.

Minnie Driver is awesome as Dahlia.