Think of the new Fox series "The $treet" as a longer, more focused version of "Sex and the City." Sort of "Sex and the Financial District."
Or maybe "Melrose Place," without the apartment building and with better suits.
"The $treet" is the latest entry from producer/writer Darren Star, whose credits include — surprise! — "Sex and the City," "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Central Park West." But it's that HBO comedy and the buzz that it created that has sort of turned his world around.
"I mean, obviously, it's been terrific for me," Star said. "I think the success of the show on HBO, the fact that it brought in a very mainstream audience with adult content, is something that I'm hoping to bring to a show like 'The $treet.' And I think the audience is in an environment where Fox is competing against HBO. . . . I don't think (Fox) can actually do 'Sex and the City,' but I think this show is certainly going to push boundaries a little bit in terms of getting into smart, adult territory."
Well, I'll give him the whole pushing-the-boundaries thing. "The $treet" appears determined to be the most "adult" show on network television.
But smart? No way.
Not unless your definition of smart is predictable plotting that is sometimes unintentionally funny — you can see one of the big developments in the pilot episode coming about 10 miles away. Or if taking the low road at every opportunity is somehow a sign of intelligence.
"The $treet" has as much to do with Wall Street (where it's supposed to take place) as "Melrose Place" had to do with the world of advertising. It's a cartoonish stage where pretty, young people spout bad dialogue and obsess about their sex lives.
If there's a central character in this large ensemble, it's Jack (Tom Everett Scott of "That Thing You Do"), a handsome, charming, successful stock trader whose love life isn't going so well in Wednesday's premiere episode (8 p.m., Ch. 13). He's surrounded by various pit bulls and vipers, including Alexandra (Nina Garbiras), Jack's duplicitous fiance; Chris (Sean Maher), who has a chip on his shoulder because of his working-class roots; Freddie (Rick Hoffman), the office snake; Tom (Giancarlo Esposito), the obnoxious head of the trading desk; Tim (Christian Campbell), the naive — for the moment — young trainee; Catherine (Jennifer Connelly), the tough new vice president of sales with a secret in her past; Donna (Melissa De Sousa), the ambitious receptionist; Bridget (Bridgette Wilson), another snotty schemer; and Evan (Adam Goldberg), who fancies himself a master of irony.
Without going into great detail — which we can't do here in a family newspaper — let's just say that in the first hour alone we find out more about several of these characters' sex lives than we could possibly want to know.
Basically, "The $treet" is about attractive, young people behaving badly, making lots of money and, more often than not, trying to prove that morals don't count.
If that's your idea of entertainment, then by all means make an appointment with these stockbrokers.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com