TCA Sneak Peek - Dirty Sexy Money

“It’s really more dirty, more sexy, and more money than ever before,” creator Craig Wright said of his Dirty Sexy Money, which returns this fall for a brand new season of intrigue and decadence among the ridiculously rich Darling family.

The entire cast returns this fall, with a significant and fabulous addition:  Lucy Liu.  Her character Nola Lyons plays a key role in the juicy central storyline of the new season, the temptation of Darling family go-to guy Nick George, played by actor Peter Krause.

Krause said that he was initially a little leery of the soap operatic elements of the show during its first season, which was cut short by the writer’s strike.  But he soon came to not only appreciate the more scandalous elements of the show, but to embrace them and he asked producers Craig Wright and Jon Harmon Feldman to crank it up full blast.

“We’re taking Peter’s advice,” Wright said.  “He’s offered temptations more often this season and we’re going to track his moral and cognitive development.”  Will Nick George be able to remain an honest, neutral broker to the Darling family without compromising his values?

To quote the Magic 8-Ball:  Outlook not so good.

“If you’re going to be a part of this family, it’s going to cost you,”  Wright said.

Wright and Feldman took efforts to make sure that Dirty Sexy Money is accessible to new viewers.  “In the first five minutes of the season you have an introduction to the family that is comprehensive and detailed,” Wright said.  “We have a set piece that opens the season.  You meet everybody for the first time […] We’re writing this first show like it’s a new pilot for a new show and you meet everybody and boom, boom, boom, you get their names, they’re explained, and you just get it.”

In other developments, Carmelita the transgender object of New York State Attorney General Patrick Darling’s illicit affections, will be returning this season.  “She will return and will play a part in Patrick’s life that will be very dramatic.”  William Baldwin, who plays Patrick, was both amused and excited by the development and how life often imitates art. ;)

Also returning in a recurring role is Juliet, the wayward and independent Darling child and twin sister of the wild Jeremy.  At some point in the season Nick and Jeremy will have to find her and bring her back into the fold, which should be interesting.

Lucy Liu and Peter Krause were sitting next to each other during the panel interview, and as everyone was talking about the show the two actors began whispering to each other and giggling.  I would have paid good money for one of those parabolic spy microphones at that moment so I could hear what they were saying.  One of the critics in the audience asked Lucy what she and Peter were whispering about and I swear she blushed.  It was pretty cute, they were like students getting busted for passing a note in class.

So how did Lucy Liu end up on the show?  Well, she asked.  It’s that simple.  After Cashmere Mafia was cancelled, Liu received a call from ABC President Steve McPherson while she was in Paris, asking her to stay within the ABC family.  A fan of Dirty Sexy Money, Liu asked if she could be involved in the show.  You can guess what the answer was.  An important character was created specifically for Lucy Liu, the as-yet mysterious Nola Lyons.   How Nola fits into the pantheon of decadent demigods on the show remains to be seen, so I guess we’ll just have to tune in and find out.

--Dave Campbell