Filthy Rich - new soap coming this Fall

[Carrie Fairchild]

This was announced during FOX's upfront presentation this week. Kim Cattrall plays the matriarch of a billion dollar televangelism empire whose family is thrown into disarray when her husband dies and it's discovered that he has written three of his previously unmentioned illegitimate children into his will. It's based on a New Zealand series I believe. From the trailer, it looks like it'll be soapy goodness.

 

[Rove]

I really liked the New Zealand production but it was given the graveyard shift on Australian television. I'm liking the Fox version as well because someone was clever enough to focus the attention on Kim Cattrall. That's how you take advantage of a bankable star.

 

[tommie]

Poor Sarah Jessica Parker. Now that dream of Sex and the City 3 is further away than ever.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It's a tacky title, but the trailer looks great.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It's a tacky title, but the trailer looks great.

Wasn't it a brief 'WSJR?' era sitcom?

 

[Daniel Avery]

I never saw the original Filthy Rich, but from what I recall it was an early 1980s serialized sitcom (think: Soap) written by the same producers/writers of Designing Women, and co-starring DW stars Delta Burke and Dixie Carter. I guess enough time has passed that no one minds this new show adopting the title of a past series.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I guess enough time has passed that no one minds this new show adopting the title of a past series

I didn't mean because of the possible association with…
The title is cheap and overtly sensational but in a very unimaginative way. To me, it looks like a "wink", which is not a good way to start a new drama series.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I never saw the original Filthy Rich, but from what I recall it was an early 1980s serialized sitcom (think: Soap) written by the same producers/writers of Designing Women, and co-starring DW stars Delta Burke and Dixie Carter. I guess enough time has passed that no one minds this new show adopting the title of a past series.

Yes, that's why I don't like titles like REVENGE or DIRTY SEXY MONEY.

 

[Richard Channing]

It looks like a good premise for a show, but unfortunately I've learned not to get my hopes up when it comes to modern days attempts at soap operas. They promise you the world but then can't deliver. Especially not for the long haul, for those that even make it that far. The primetime soap seems to be a dying art, and there's no reason why that should be the case. Yes, a lot of things have been done to death, but other TV genres still manage to tell compelling stories, so I don't see why this one can't.

 

[Alexis]

Well it looks like it's at least taking itself sort of seriously. I don't get that wink at the camera vibe that nuDynasty has. It also doesn't seem like every scene is set up around a bunch of one liners and wise cracks. Count me in! I will at least give it a shot.

 

[Willie Oleson]

DIRTY SEXY MONEY

I think it's a good title for a hip hop soap like EMPIRE.

Yes, a lot of things have been done to death

If they can do 26 seasons of The Walking Dead then surely it must be possible to create a successful, long running soap series?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I dunno. I think the brass's demands for endless "OMG moments" could help kill the soap genre. With no room for anything genuinely intimate (other than sex).

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think the brass's demands for endless "OMG moments" could help kill the soap genre

Yeah, I guess it's the soap equivalent of the obligatory jump-scares in desperate wanna-be horror movies.

 

[Rove]

The primetime soap seems to be a dying art, and there's no reason why that should be the case.

Well Games of Thrones is ending next week so perhaps Filthy Rich could fill the void

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

It's a tacky title, but the trailer looks great.

The title does sound a bit sitcom-ish. I always thought Revelations was a good name for a soap with a religious theme.

Well it looks like it's at least taking itself sort of seriously. I don't get that wink at the camera vibe that nuDynasty has. It also doesn't seem like every scene is set up around a bunch of one liners and wise cracks. Count me in! I will at least give it a shot.

My thoughts exactly Alexis. It doesn't appear to be a soap / comedy like Desperate Housewives was. Or a soap with airs of being a highbrow drama like Brothers & Sisters. Or a mess like the CW Dynasty. It just appears to be pure soap.
The setup is actually giving me Falcon Crest vibes. Following a death in dodgy circumstances, an iron lady matriarch in her 60's tries to see off unwelcome relations who come to claim their birthrights.

 

[Marika]

The same premise – the father of a wealthy family dies and has three illegitimate children who inherit a part of the family fortune – was used for the German daily soap "Alles oder Nichts" (All or Nothing) which premiered last fall. It ran weekdays at 6.30 pm on Sat.1 but was cancelled after 105 episodes due to low ratings. The last episode aired on March 22nd, 2019.

The three illegitimate children were a homeless man, a blonde stripper, and a 16-year old girl that grew up in a poor family.

A major reason for the declining ratings was the fact that the lead role (the matriarch) was recast after only 1 1/2 months. The recast was pathetic and clearly put people off.

The full series is available on youtube.

That was one of the official pre-premiere promos: