TV Review - Filthy Rich (2020)

Ever since the mega-success of Empire (2015), FOX thinks that it can score big again with another trashy soap opera-like series about a wealthy family, fighting over their wealth and among each other, all while being in and trying to navigate the media industry. Unfortunately, HBO's Succession, which just won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, has sucked all the oxygen out of the television landscape in terms of this kind of show about a wealthy family in-fighting about their lives and business. Even if it hadn't, this series would still be eclipsed by Empire. The reason is because it doesn't have as strong characters as Empire. It tries to have comparable characters, but, sadly, they just don't measure up. They're not as engaging or as entertaining. There's potential for some, but the rest are just boring.

Kim Cattrall (Tell Me a Story and Sex and the City) stars as Margaret Monreaux, a TV evangelist, living in New Orleans. She has a TV show on what's called the Sunshine Network, which seems to be akin to Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) or Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Her show is called "Wings of a Dove" and it's comparable to The 700 Club or Hour of Power. Yet, she seems like she's propped up as the Oprah Winfrey of the Christian broadcasting world in terms of her popularity or influence. Yet, unlike Oprah, Margaret is married and has two adult children. Right now, her goal is to launch a business venture called Sunny Club, which is a way for her family's company to make more money through merchandising.

Melia Kreiling (Tyrant and The Borgias) co-stars as Ginger Sweet who is a bit of the polar opposite of Margaret in more ways than one. She's a bit of a media mogul herself. Instead of television, Ginger has her own website. Instead of extolling the virtues of so-called Christian values like chastity, Ginger extols the virtues of sex and sexuality. Ginger's website is a veritable site for pornography. Her site has men log onto it in order to watch women do provocative things on camera, namely sexual things. She seems to exist only to show the hypocrisy that those in the evangelical community have about sex and fidelity, especially the hypocrisy in men. She also exists as a challenge to the values that Margaret promotes on her show.

The reason that Ginger is allowed to challenge is because it's revealed that Ginger is essentially Margaret's stepdaughter. Margaret is in fact the bastard child of Margaret's husband. The way that Margaret learns of Ginger's existence is after Margaret's husband seemingly dies in a plane crash, it's revealed that Margaret's husband had his last will in testament changed to include his three children by three different women who aren't Margaret. Of which, Ginger is one.

The other two children that Margaret's husband had out of wedlock are Antonio Rivera, played by Benjamin Levy Aguilar, and Jason Conley, played by Mark L. Young. The first few episodes don't do much to endear us to these two or make us care about their situations. Both just come across as rather bland and boring, or at least they're not given much to do in the first, three episodes that make them all that memorable.

Same goes for Margaret's legitimate children. Her two adult children whom she did have in wedlock are Eric Monreaux, played by Corey Cott, and Rose Monreaux, played by Aubrey Dollar. I suppose that they do give a little something for these two. Eric wants to have more power at his father's company, but his mother won't let him, so he feels emasculated. His wife and father-in-law don't help in that regard, so Eric secretly retreats to being comforted with women from Ginger's website. As far as Rose, she doesn't really contribute much, except being incestuously connected to Jason whom she thinks at first is her half-brother. None of it feels urgent, dangerous or all that titillating. In Episode 3, there is a great moment between Margaret and Ginger that is epic where Cattrall delivers a fiery rant, which has no consequence. Otherwise, the whole thing feels lame.

Rated TV-14-VLSD.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Mondays at 9PM on FOX.