In a move that’s surely meant to signal that it’s business as usual at the networks, ABC has just announced it’s picking up Dirty Sexy Money for a full season. Money isn’t the first freshman series to be picked up by the network; full season orders have already been given to Private Practice, Pushing Daisies and comedy Samantha Who?, although it is the first one made since the writers strike began on November 5. In addition to more episodes, Money has also gained a new cast member. Lolita Davidovitch will be playing a potential love interest for Tripp Darling, played by Donald Sutherland.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Davidovitch is playing Flavia Carazzi, “an elegant, sexy administrator at a New York children’s hospital who crosses paths with Nick (Peter Krause) and Tripp.” While some series have already shut down production, Dirty Sexy Money is soldiering ahead. Davidovitch is scheduled to begin shooting her role immediately, using scripts that were banked before the strike began.
While Money's pickup is a positive sign in an uncertain TV landscape, there is still the possibility that an extended strike could hurt the momentum that it and the other new series have been gaining. Personally, I’m holding onto Dirty Sexy Money so I’ll have something “new” to watch when the shows all go into repeats. Hopefully fans will also find a reason to keep watching these freshman series, especially Pushing Daisies and Samantha Who?; then maybe these full-season orders will mean that they’ll actually have a future.
