I really had no interest in Richie Rich nor did I have any inclination to offer my thoughts on this Netflix original series, but upon sitting through one episode of this show, I now feel compelled… nay, I feel obligated to review… nay, warn others about this series.
To say that Richie Rich is awful would be like saying that being set on fire is is a little uncomfortable. This show is not only bad, it’s a war crime. It’s not only stupid, it sets a new bar for being stupid. This show is not only unfunny, it has made stillbirth positively hilarious by comparison.
This new take on the poorest little rich kid in the world is just proof that some television series can only get made with the assistance of Satan herself.
Richie Rich has been around for years — I remember the cartoon when I was a kid and vaguely remember the comic book. I was never a fan of the character, but I never hated him. I even concede that possibilities exist to do something unique with the character if he was given to the right people.
Either that, or you could toss him to a bunch of hacks and have them do some kind of Suite Life clone that is apparently so bad that neither The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon would pick it up and, let’s face it, they specialize in pure excrement. My gods, have you seen that show, Jessie? Yuck!
In the episode I watched, Richie Rich (despite paying for this house that his family lives in) is ordered to attend a family game night on the same night that he promised his friends that he would take them to a concert (some unclever Daft Punk-ish deejay). Rather than just explaining the situation like a thinking human being would, he decides to buy out the concert and have it take place in his bedroom so that he can attend both.
Yep… it’s the old double-date cliche! And it’s only the first episode!
This is just an abhorrent pile. It’s bad enough when every (and I do mean every) single joke lands with a complete thud, but when the kids are such blatant stereotypes, it’s just inexcusable. One kid is a financial manager and a Jew (har har) the other is a girl and is obsessed with materialism and money (haha) while Richie Rich himself is just creepy… not in a funny or endearing way, but like that little so-and-so who was diagnosed with “affluenza” a few years back, he just strikes me as a worthless spoiled piece of crap and I can’t believe that a character – a primary character who’s name is the TV show’s title – is written this badly. For goodness’ sake, this kid who can’t be any older than 12, creates a robot maid with the body of a supermodel and perves out every time she’s around. That’s not funny, that’s not cute… that’s just skeezy.
It is outrageous to me that something this cheap and lazy was able to be produced, shot, and even given a second season. Netflix can keep that second season and every episode of the first season I don’t intend to watch. If my kids try to watch this, I will punish them with a good caning because they will know that something made without ambition, care, and love does not deserve theirs.
Macaulay Culkin should be writing this show a thank you note. This is probably one of, if not the worst, sitcom I have ever watched.
Jason Gaston 