Dirty Sexy Money

For me, TV is about entertainment and escape. It's a great way to unwind after a day of classes, meetings and homework. And ABC's endlessly entertaining "Dirty Sexy Money" has all the ingredients for that perfect hour of escape. It offers a window into a crazy world of wealth and vanity. It presents a brilliant cast of characters whose relationships with each other are ever-changing and developing. And it focuses on a protagonist with whom viewers can truly relate: one who seems to have a clear moral compass but who is more and more frequently lured in the wrong direction.

"Dirty Sexy Money" features New York's elite Darling family. There's the intimidating patriarch and powerful businessman, Tripp, his socialite trophy wife, Letitia, and their five complicated children: Senate-hopeful Patrick, corrupt Father Brian, luckless-in-love Karen and party-obsessed twins Jeremy and Juliet.

New pictures of Patrick Darling have surfaced showing the attorney general on the streets of New York, making out with a woman who is certainly not his wife. His sister Karen, the serial divorcee, has also been spotted locking lips with a scandalous new lover, possibly her father's biggest business competitor. A red-carpet catfight breaks out between Juliet and fellow socialite Natalie Kimpton because Natalie has apparently stolen Juliet's hairstyle.

These (very juicy) trials and tribulations of the Darling family all fall into the lap of their beloved family lawyer, Nick George. Nick only agrees to take on the position of chief counsel for the Darling family - inherited from his father, who died in a mysterious plane crash - after Tripp offers to throw millions his way, money Nick plans to use for philanthropic purposes. What Nick perhaps doesn't realize is what exactly his new job will entail, and Nick is rendered a truly likeable guy who struggles under the constant push and pull between his morals and the Darlings' looser ones.

On the surface, it's another juicy family soap opera, full of self-obsessed characters and outrageous plot twists, a descendant of series like ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and FOX' "The O.C." While the show might seem like some vapid display of opulent lifestyles, however, "Dirty Sexy Money" is a series with heart.

If you're looking for a new show to become engrossed in this year, and you find yourself wondering whether to assign a TiVo Season Pass to "Dirty Sexy Money" or "Paris Hilton's My New Best Friend," I think the decision is simple. "Dirty Sexy Money" has it all.