Privileged: Pilot (series premiere)
(S01E01) In the first five minutes of this show, viewers are treated to a visual definition of the phrase "fish out of water."
I generally don't like any comedy that starts out with the the main character losing everything and starting her life all over again. In a drama, it kind of works that the hero has to go from town to town searching for something she lost. In a comedy, it just means that we'll be spending the next half hour watching the hero say things like, "What did I get myself into?"
The premise of the show is pretty simple. Megan (Joanna Garcia) needs a job, a home, money, etc, so she moves to West Palm Beach and gets hired by Anne Archer (in her most MILF-tastic role) to tutor her granddaughters. Her granddaughters are, of course, stupid and spoiled and therein lies the wackiness.
When Megan first meets Sage and Rose, they are about what you'd expect. One insults her outfit while the other justifies their complete lack of interest in their studies. At this point, nothing is too impressive.
One character who manages to stand out is the family's personal chef, Marco, played by Alan Louis. He's a classic archetype of the hired help who is above the nonsense that involves his employers, but of course, he's irreplaceable so he can say whatever he wants. He kind of reminds me of a very hip, very gay Benson.
Halfway through the show, we learn that Megan is originally from Florida and when she surprises her platonic best friend, Charlie (Michael Cassidy), she asks him not to alert her father or sister that she's back in town.
I have been a fan of Michael Cassidy since The OC but he's really underused here. He deserves more than being the best friend who gives advice that is never taken.
Megan's love interest comes in a very charming package that goes by the name of Will. Brian Hallisay plays Will and he's not only easy on the eyes he's also very apt at being the one person Megan can connect with inside the world of Palm Beach fabulousness. Ironically, you may remember Hallisay from his role as Paris Hilton's boyfriend in the classic film Bottoms Up.
By the end of the show, it's made clear that one of the sisters is evil and one is good and while they love each other, they disagree on their futures. Unfortunately, I was so disinterested in the show by that time that I couldn't be bothered to tell which one was which.
As one would expect, Megan's sister, Lily, shows up near the end of the show add to the drama. Sadly, she also adds an excruciating amount of exposition.
The cast of this show is very talented but the premise has been done too many times to make this version of the "spoiled rich girls who learn a lesson" story worth watching.
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