Wednesday, November 14, 2012

A look at "DeVanity," which has Gordon Thomson, Maxwell Caulfield and Charlene Tilton all queued up

It's a show about a jewelry family, and we adore that, because fab jewelry is fairly dripping off every female character. It's quite the farce. And it's all beautiful people, all the time. Yes, the comparisons to our beloved "Dynasty" are inevitable. So don't be surprised that "Dynasty" alum Gordon Thomson shows up here, along with Maxwell Caulfield of "The Colbys" and a brunette Charlene Tilton of "Dallas." We're talking the web series "DeVanity," mentioned previously on this blog but examined a little more in-depth here ...

It starts out clunky in the first episode but gets better, we have to say. Innocent-eyed Michael Caruso as the lead character Jason DeVanity is far from your Hollywood pretty boy -- a welcome change -- and he fairly devours his role. So does his on-screen wife, Alexis Zibolis as the evil Lara. He calls her a crazy scheming b*tch and generally treats her like crap as he untangles some ugly family secrets. Somehow, it works. Doesn't hurt that Caruso is one of the folks producing this shindig.

Katie Caprio as Jason's sister Bianca, with a lean look and a dimple that arrives on the scene a full 30 seconds before her, seems more the Alexis Colby of this show, though she's not going to be wrestling that pleasure away from vixen Zibolis anytime soon. The dialogue is fairly snappy. There are jeggings, tight minis, martinis, violin music and deep solid colors everywhere. What's not to like? Did we mention the catfight in the pool? Not quite the lily pond with Alexis and Krystle, but it'll do.

Things get waaaaay farcical in Season 2. Fantastic necklaces both in bed and in the pool. The ole plastic surgery trick to change actors for a character. The sister who marries her abortionist, and the sisters who seem to keep sleeping with their brother (don't worry -- they're adopted). The sister-in-law's wedding-night body-part revelation. It was better in Season 1 when it seemed it was almost taking itself seriously. Still, we're not afraid to call it: Zibolis is the standout in this group. We'll give Mike Dirksen as Alex an honorable mention for his significant -- ahem -- heat factor.

Alana Stewart is well-cast as the mom of the show's two blondes, Zibolis' Lara and Katie Apicella's Dr. Portia, in the seventh episode of Season 2. But wait -- here come Thomson, Caulfield and Tilton to show 'em how it's done. OK, wait is the operative word. You can see them in the trailer for Season 3 now, but the episodes themselves begin on January 10.

Prep now by watching the first two seasons in one sitting like we did. As with many online-based series, this one has short eps. Six or seven or even 10 minutes is just not enough!

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