Let me start by saying that this series is definitely not for everyone, for any number of reasons. First, it is essentially a soap opera. A highly stylized one, to be sure, but a soap opera nonetheless. Your mother's soap opera, it is not, however, for it is absolutely full of just what the title proclaims - the show has dirt, and plenty of it. You get language (in fact, much of what is rarely - if ever - heard on standard television), you get nudity the likes of which has rarely seen the light of day (which is likely why the show airs on cable at 10pm), you get drugs and you even get violence.
Yes, there is dirt and plenty of it. But outside of that, the show is actually pretty darn good. Be warned, fans of Monica Geller this is not prime-time network tee-vee, but it is definitely must-see. It's better than The Sopranos has been for four seasons or more. It's better than any reality show. So get ready to get dirty.
The action opens as we meet Lucy Spiller (Courteney Cox), the editor of Drrt magazine, and we find out right off how she operates when she catches a couple of her cub reporters sending messages back and forth on their phones. When she does, she fires one and puts the other on warning - don't send anything over the network that you don't want everyone to see.
Hang on to your hats, because the ride is just getting moving. Lucy has latched onto down-and-out star Holt McLaren (Josh Stewart), who is suffering from a bit of an image problem and needs a little pick-me-up. When he overhears his girlfriend, rising star Julia Mallory (Laura Allen) talking to her buddy about an unexpected pregnancy, he gives Lucy what she wants - dirt for next week's cover - in exchange for a puff piece of his own in Drrt's sister magazine, Now.
This in turn pumps up his own stock, but it has a downside. It seems that Julia's pregnant friend, Kira Klay (Shannyn Sossamon) has another problem - she's a drug addict. And the news breaking that she's been leaked to the tabloids pushes her over the edge, and she ends up in the hospital.
Meanwhile, in other developments, Lucy's hot photographer, Don Konkey (Ian Hart), has a couple secrets of his own. The first is that he's a functional schizophrenic. That means he can usually operate normally, but he's a bit whacked out in the process. If he forgets to take his meds - or just decides not to do so - then it's a whole different story.
His other secret is a whole lot more interesting. It seems that he paid a stripper to spend a little time with family man and basketball star Prince Tyreese, and let's just say that produced some great photographs that are likely to lead to some wonderful shots in the magazine if they should see the light of day.
Like I said - it's not for everyone, but if you are looking for something different, this might be it. I don't know if they can keep up the feverish pace, but this may be a monstrous hit. The potential is huge. It really is that good and has the potential to be that big of a change in television. I don't think it will be make it to a broadcast network any time soon, but who cares? This is some good stuff.
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