Overview
The Riches is an American television drama that aired on FX from March 12, 2007 to April 29, 2008. The show follows a family of itinerant con artists who abandon their former lives and pose as a prosperous, established household in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The principal cast includes Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver as the parents of the family, and the series blends elements of drama, dark comedy and social satire.
Premise and main characters
The central narrative follows a couple and their children who, after a high-stakes theft, take on the identities and trappings of a wealthy family they encounter. They attempt to navigate upper-class routines and expectations while hiding their past. The story examines the practical challenges of maintaining a fabricated identity and the personal pressures that emerge as each family member adapts to — or resists — the deception.
Themes and tone
At its heart, the series explores identity, family loyalty, and the idea of the American Dream. It contrasts the surface comforts of wealth with moral compromises and the consequences of long-term deception. The tone shifts between tense dramatic moments and wry, satirical observations about class, privilege, and the lengths people will go to reinvent themselves.
Style and structure
Episodes typically follow the family as they handle immediate threats to their cover while also developing longer-running storylines about personal history, relationships and the community around them. The show interweaves character-driven scenes with suspenseful plot developments, and it often uses domestic detail to highlight differences between the impostors' former nomadic lives and the stability they pretend to enjoy.
Production and setting
The narrative is set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the local setting plays a role in the story's atmosphere and social context. The series was presented by FX and attracted attention for its casting and for tackling questions of class and belonging. Viewers and critics noted strong performances and the show's willingness to complicate sympathy for characters who engage in criminal acts.
Reception and legacy
Although it ran for a limited period, the series left an impression as a character-focused portrait of an unconventional family living a lie. It is often discussed for its performances, its blending of genres, and its examination of social mobility through deception. For further details about episodes, cast biographies and critical commentary, consult network guides and episode lists available from reliable sources such as official program pages and television reference sites (series information).