I'm watching a few episodes of Filthy Rich right now, going through an old stockpile of VHS tapes. It is excellent! This would make a great addition to TV Land or Brilliant but Canceled.I'm also amazed at how far backwards we've traveled, as some of the lightweight scenes of this comedy would never be permitted in the overly PC world of 20 years later. And that's sad.Dixie Carter is great, Delta Burke is her perfect foil. The entire cast seems carefully crafted and perfectly chosen. The overly opulent sets are just as overblown as anything on Dynasty. The dialog is quick, the plots just ridiculous enough. I'll bet reruns of this would even have flown during the writer's strike, moreso than reality shows.

While I would be hesitant to name 'Filthy Rich' as one of the funniest sitcoms of all time, it is most definitely one of the funniest series of the 1980's. Some consider it a shame that it never found it's audience. Actually, that may be its saving grace because thankfully it never had a chance to go downhill. The episodes that were made are total gems. The acting is hysterically funny; Ann Wedgeworth being at her absolute best and, in my opinion, robbed of an Emmy nomination. Nedra Volz is also a standout, along with Dixie Carter and Delta Burke in their pre-'Designing Women' days. If this ever becomes available, buy it on the spot! You won't be disappointed. I WANT MY DVD!!

Unfortunately, the storylines from the third episode forward didn't keep up the standards. First, they replaced Slim Pickens as the late "Big Guy" Beck with Forrest Tucker. Although a great actor, Forrest just didn't come off as funny as Slim did. (Unfortunately, I believe they had no choice, as that was about the time Slim passed away.) The banter between Delta Burke and Dixie Carter was incredible, and the addition of Nedra Volz as "Big Guy's" ex, whose elevator didn't go to the top, whose porch-light was on, but nobody was home, helped as well. If only the story-lines kept up the standards set by the first two, maybe the series would have lasted.Even with that being said, this series should be released, as the first two episodes make the whole series worth having. (I was beside myself when Dixie Carter told Delta Burke to "shove her Mary Ann Mobley act into a hatbox and hit the road.")

You would think that since this show laid the groundwork for "Designing Women," and was a scathing spoof of '80s prime-time dramas, some network would pull it out of the vaults. It was, however, very different in tone and style than its successor...The Becks were a cut-throat, rich, Southern family who recently lost their patriarch, Big Guy. As a stipulation of Big Guy's "video" will, in order to acquire his wealth, the family had to live together at the family mansion and "cohabitate in love, peace and harmony" with one another -- and with Big Guy's recently revealed illegitimate son, trashy RV salesman Wild Bill Westchester ("and his lovely and whimsical wife, Bootsy"). This did not bode well with Big Guy's whiny son, Marshall, Marshall's domineering wife, Carlotta, or Big Guy's second (trophy) wife, gold-digger Kathleen. Although Marshall and Carlotta didn't particularly like Kathleen, "nothing brings enemies together like greed." Mother B was Big Guy's first wife (mother to Marshall and Stanley), a loopy nursing-home-runaway. Stanley was Big Guy's other son (and the object of Kathleen's affection), the only normal one in the family, who had invested his money wisely and didn't need any of Big Guy's anyway. The result was comedic gold. Dixie Carter, Delta Burke and Michael Lombard were hilarious as they devoured the scenery while conspiring to get Big Guy's cash. Nedra Volz was hysterical as the senile mother who spouted off whatever came to her mind ("Anyhow, I'm senile, half my teeth are gone - I don't care if you date goats!"). Ann Wedgeworth was brilliantly cast as the insipidly stupid country hick who thought she was smart (after all she had read the encyclopedia from A-Y!). Jerry Hardin was great as Wild Bill, a smooth talking southern dork. Charles Frank as the down-to-earth ladies man (who was often seen in a bubble-bath sporting a cowboy hat) was fantastic. And Slim Pickens was delightful as goofy Big Guy (though Forrest Tucker, who took over the role when Pickens was too ill to continue, was a little too sedate in the part). The writing was clever (though sometimes dated today) and the cast had an incredible chemistry.So what happened? CBS happened. It debuted as the #1 show, but CBS quickly bumped it around the schedule before dropping it altogether. What should have been a long-running hit was quickly reduced to a 15-episode memory. In one way, that's perhaps a good thing or "Designing Women" wouldn't have come to be. In another way, it's a horrible shame, since this was truly a great show. With the success of DW, it's surprising that Columbia has just left it sitting in the vaults -- more than a curio, it's a gem in a sea of rocks (since many '80s sitcoms were the latter) and tapes are extremely difficult to come by, even from TV collectors...