Meet the Darlings

Reason number...er..15 why I prefer to stay in on Saturday nights: DIRTY SEXY MONEY.

My latest guilty pleasure courtesy of Miss J (thank you!!) If you thought Dynasty, The Colbys, Knots Landing and the lot were addictive, DSM is definitely a must-see.

The Darling family tree

"Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail.

Living proof of this are the Darlings of New York City, so absurdly wealthy, they put the upper in Upper East Side. This preeminent family are always getting mixed up with the wrong people and finding themselves in the middle of bad situations. It'll take a miracle to take care of the legal and sometimes illegal needs of the Darling family.

That miracle comes in the form of Nick George. As a boy, Nick watched his father surrender his freedom and family as the Darling's trusted consigliere. Nick grew up in a troubled household where he was always second to the overpowering Darling family. Burned by his own boyhood encounters with them, he vowed never to follow in his father's footsteps. The idealistic Nick did a 180-degree turn and became a lawyer for the disadvantaged.

After the mysterious, sudden death of Nick's father, family patriarch Tripp Darling offers Nick the opportunity to inherit the responsibility of protecting the Darlings' secrets. The job, with an ungodly salary, will allow Nick the freedom to be an altruistic do-gooder. But he discovers all too soon that his new position requires him to be an all-around problem fixer, hand-holder, therapist and public relations expert.

The powerful and persuasive Tripp Darling, owner of vineyards and homes around the world, lives with his beautiful, graceful and posh wife, Letitia. While they symbolize the charm and all-Americanism of old money, they also embody scandal and have spawned five grown, troubled children.

The oldest is Patrick Darling, the attorney general for New York. He's a handsome and commanding man whose political star is quickly rising. There's just one problem -- he has a transgendered girlfriend who won't go away, and this potential senatorial candidate needs Nick to fix the situation.

The sexy, stunning and thrice-married Karen is the eldest daughter, a socialite who runs the family foundation. She lost her virginity to Nick, a fact she isn't shy about telling her newest fiancé. A self-described loser in love, Karen still looks to Nick for help in her personal life."

As with the other shows, DSM's run on primetime TV was cut short by the writers' strike but was one of the few lucky new shows not to get the axe by the tv network bosses in the States which means come September we'll find out if Tripp Darling will get his revenge on Simon Elder, whether Karen will ever move on from Nick, if the lovely Carmelita aka Candis Cayne will grace the screen again and will the former Reverend Brian Darling, whom by the way is eye candy for yours truly, stop being angry. Basically everyone in the Darling Family are controversially mental that even the scenes where they spend money without a care in the world makes you forget your own shortcomings!

There're only 8 episodes but a lot sure happens and gets revealed all throughout so miss it at your own risk...

Dirty Sexy Money shown on 8tv (channel 708), Saturdays @ 10.30pm

Excerpt of show taken from the official Dirty Sexy Money website