Windfall

This was a pretty good show. It starts out with eighteen people at a party when the lottery is at an all-time high (386 million dollars). One person from this party gets tickets for the whole party and some kid at the convenience store. The next day they find out they won the lotto, instantly turning the eighteen party goers, the kid at the store, and one mystery woman into multimillionaires. As the show goes on, we find out about different affairs the people are having, an ex-con is thrown in there, and a teenager gets a Russian wife. Good stuff. It was a fun show, even thought it was highly improbable that they would win. I usually don't watch a lot of dramas (I'm more of a crime show person) this looks good and it'll help me get through a long CSI-less summer.

Great new show...Lots of unanswered questions at the end of each episode, leaving the viewer anticipating next week's show. Very good acting, including Luke Perry...not 90210's Dylan anymore! There are a few other known actors, but most are fresh faces which adds to the overall "novelty" of the show. A unique storyline, with many characters' lives intertwining with each other in unexpected ways. There's only been a few episodes, but they have already covered murder, blackmail, love, marriage & divorce, human desires and how money has affected everything in these peoples' lives. I hope this one sticks around...it has quickly become a new favorite!

I can't imagine what kind of show the first reviewer on here likes, but I watched Windfall and was hooked immediately. It is no train wreck - it simply has many story lines for a variety of colorful characters. There is humor and drama. After each of the first two shows, I couldn't wait till the next one to see what would happen. Everyone I know who's watched this is also hooked on it. And I think the acting is fine - perhaps the critics could show the credentials that qualify them to criticize this great ensemble group. Also - there's no way they used Luke "Dylan" Perry from 90210 to get viewers. The only reason I tuned in was for Jason Gedrick, who is a far bigger star than anyone else, including Luke, although he didn't star in a television show that was watched by millions of adolescents. I will continue to watch it for all the other characters, as well. The fact that everyone else is unknown is just one more refreshing reason to watch and enjoy this show. NO ONE gets excessive screen time over anyone else. It is a show about many characters and many stories.

Remember Luke Perry? Oh come on, course you do. He was in teen drama Beverly Hills 90210 playing a high school kid even thought it was patently obvious that the man was so far into his 30s he was old enough to be some of the students' father. There you go, you can picture him now, well he's back.

In fact he's the main draw in this drama that follows 20 lottery winners after they all become notably rich. With US$20million each they head off spending but for each of the characters the win comes with unexpected problems from marital and ethical to legal and criminal. While indulging in the fantasy of instant wealth (there are lots of shopping scenes) it also fulfils the human desire to see rich people have problems too. Lightweight and easygoing it's more soap than heavy primetime material but a nice distraction nevertheless.

For Luke Perry, being given another shot at the prime time must have actually been like winning the lottery. But Windfall was cancelled in the first season, although there are 13 episodes to watch which is more than many are permitted these days. Many in America didn't get the chance to see how it all ended as some NBC affiliates screened pre-season football instead of the final episode. Well worth a look but if all this talk of Luke Perry has done is awaken a buzz of 1990s nostalgia then please note that the Beverly Hills 90210 DVD set was released to buy last November. You're excited now aren't you?

Various friends and neighbors attend a party where people contribute a dollar to play the lottery. Sean Mathers works at a flower shop and hiding as a fugitive. He's invited by his boss Beth Walsh and her husband Cameron who are planning to move away for his new job. Peter and Nina Schaefer seems to have a happy family but she's cheating with Cameron who was her ex. Maggie is an overworked struggling nurse. Teen Damien adds a buck at the convenient store. Nina plays Cameron's birth date which ends up winning $386 million. Addie fights with her husband who she's in the process of divorcing. They have teen daughter Frankie. Struggling single mom Kimberly George delivered a pizza and added the extra dollar. Sean does a deal with lawyer Zoe Reida for her to claim the winnings and split the money. She fears his fake identity, a murder, and creepy Jeremy from his past. Damien is underage and can't collect for another ten months. He decides to marry his father's annoying friend's mail-order Russian bride Galina and move away from his disapproving father. Former student Elisa claims to have a baby with Cameron. Sunny van Hattem claims Kimberly's share threatening to tie up everybody's payout. Zoe goes missing and her sister Tally searches for her.

There are way too many characters and everybody has a problem. There is too much going on. It's bad soap and quite frankly whiny. Some of the rich people problems come off as annoying. Some of them are doing down right stupid stuff which gets really frustrating. What's with the baby kidnapping? With so many story lines, it becomes a waste of time waiting to follow the particular characters that one finds appealing. It gets tiresome and got canceled after 13 episodes.