Television

As a girl growing up in Brooklyn, Rina Mimoun was a big fan of the blockbuster television hit Dallas, with its opulent settings and its incredibly outsize main character, J.R. Ewing.

"The show itself just seemed like an incredible fantasy to me," Minmoun says, "because I didn't grow up around money."

Fast-forward to the present day and Mimoun is now an executive producer on Privileged, a coming drama series from The CW that, like Dallas, will plunge viewers into the world of the rich and powerful, albeit with a very different slant.

Privileged is one of several prime-time shows awash in affluence. On The CW, it will be joined by the highly hyped update of Beverly Hills 90210, the iconic 1990s teen series set in one of America's most glamorous ZIP codes; and the returning Gossip Girl, which focuses on mansion-dwelling prep school students in New York.

Meanwhile, ABC will relaunch Dirty Sexy Money, the over-the-top multigenerational soap about the misadventures of a filthy rich family; and NBC has Lipstick Jungle, the Brooke Shields drama that focuses on prosperous and powerful businesswomen. Also coming to Fox will be Do Not Disturb, a comedy set in a posh hotel that caters to celebrities.

This embarrassment of riches is somewhat reminiscent of when shows such as Dynasty, Falcon Crest, and yes, Dallas, rode high in the ratings. And it really is no surprise, according to Chuck Kleinhans, a professor at Northwestern University who has written extensively about class and the media.

It all goes back to that famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote about the rich being "different from you and me."

"People are always interested in what is not like them," says Kleinhans. "They know their friends and family; they don't know the superrich. Some of this is curiosity. Some of it is envy. Some of it is jealousy. Some of it is snarkiness."

On the other hand, television programmers could be making a major misstep. The American economy, after all, has been in a major slump. Do viewers who are struggling with sky-high gas prices, workplace anxiety and dismal real estate news really want to spend their nights watching beautiful people clad in designer clothes, buying jewelry in upscale shops and cruising around in limos?

Dawn Ostroff, entertainment chief for The CW, apparently believes that they do.

"It's interesting because when you look at when shows like this were very popular — Dynasty and Dallas back in the day — (they debuted) when there were economic hard times," she told reporters during television's summer press tour.

L.S. Kim, a professor at UC Santa Cruz who specializes in popular culture says television and films have wallowed in wealth and glamour — for ages.

"On one hand," she says, "it is acceptable in popular culture to show a fantasy lifestyle contrary to what most people are experiencing. Think about the kind of escapist films produced during the Great Depression, for instance. On the other hand, there is a fine balance that must be struck so that the public is not pushed into scoffing at or rejecting portrayals of wealth."

That's a mind-set that does cause Mimoun some concern. "It's difficult," she says. "You want to make sure that you're not alienating a lot of viewers across the country who might be in tough financial situations."

Her show, Privileged, focuses on 23-year-old Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia), a Yale grad and wannabe journalist who somehow becomes the live-in tutor for the twin teen granddaughters of a Palm Beach cosmetic mogul (Anne Archer). The show is based on a best-selling book by Zoey Dean.

While Privileged will tap into the same sort of money, excess and oh-so-fabulous lifestyles as Gossip Girl, Mimoun says it will take a lighter approach.

"Tonally, we want it to be more like Clueless and The Devil Wears Prada," she says. "It's a wish-fulfillment comedy. We want to keep it fun and upbeat."

Both Privileged and the new 90210 will attempt to mine a sense of relatability for ordinary viewers by relying on characters who essentially serve as the audience's way into the show's world ("A character who is working on our level," says Mimoun).

On Privileged, the outsider looking in is Megan, and on 90210, it's a family from Kansas City struggling to adjust to life in Southern California.