List of characters in The Riches

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This is a list of fictional characters in the television series The Riches. The article deals with the series' main, recurring, and minor characters.

Contents

[edit] Malloy/"Rich" Family

Name Portrayed by Description
Wayne Malloy Eddie Izzard Wayne is the paternal head of the Malloy family (not to be confused with the extended Malloy 'clan'). He is a consummate, intelligent grifter and thief who experienced an 'existential crisis' while his wife was serving time in prison. He has become disillusioned with the nomadic, scamming lifestyle of the Travellers; it was his idea to steal the identities of deceased Doug and Cherien Rich and settle down into a normal life. Dahlia has referred to him as a 'halfbreed' or 'half buffer'. He is revealed to be Irish, and to have lived in an orphanage before the travelers took him in.
Dahlia Malloy Minnie Driver Dahlia is Wayne's wife. Newly out on parole, Dahlia's behavior is erratic and unpredictable, possibly exacerbated by drug habits picked up in prison. A recovering methamphetamine addict, we've seen Dahlia take a wide array of legal and illegal drugs since her parole, but recently she appears to be trying to get clean. Dahlia is considered 'royalty' in their Traveller clan, and her connection to the clan (both by blood and ideology) appears to be much stronger than Wayne's. She was initially very skeptical of Wayne's plan to leave their old lifestyle and impersonate the Riches, but has helped him work the con and done her part to assume the identity of Cherien Rich. Out of guilt over her current lifestyle, Dahlia has recently turned herself in for parole violation.
Cael Malloy Noel Fisher Cael is the eldest Malloy son. He appears rather quiet and shady, yet is very intelligent. His skills include carrying out petty cash-register cons ("I gave you a twenty!"), faking epileptic seizures, picking locks, and disabling alarm systems. While his sister Di Di seems to be more loyal to their father, Cael is more supportive of their mother and the traditional Traveller lifestyle and beliefs. Likewise, his reception to the "Rich" lifestyle is not quite as enthusiastic as that of his ambitious father. Shortly after assuming the identities of the Riches and enrolling in preparatory school, Cael continues his criminal ways after he decides to assist two wayward classmates in breaking into the school to change the grade-records (episode 4).
Delilah "Di Di" Malloy Shannon Marie Woodward Di Di is the adolescent daughter of Wayne and Dahlia. Like the other Malloy children, she is intelligent and crafty, and is adept at various scams and thievery. In the opening scene of the pilot she is seen pickpocketing people at a high school class reunion while Wayne distracts them. On Dahlia's first night out of prison, Di Di is the one who finds her mother passed out, cough syrup bottle in hand, with needle marks showing on her arm. Di Di's relationship with her mother appears to be strained; when it temporarily seemed the family would split up, Di Di chose to stay with her father (Wayne). As of episode 3, she has struck up a relationship with classmate and Edenfalls local Erick (see: The Rosemere Academy). Like her father, she is more open to the lifestyle they have found assuming the identity of the Rich family. Unlike most her family however, as the series progressed, she has become more positive at the opportunities a normal life can bring in comparison to her previous nomadic traveler lifestyle.
Sam Malloy Aidan Mitchell Sam is the youngest Malloy child and frequently dresses in girls' clothing. The idea for Sam's cross-dressing came about before Izzard, a cross-dressing (and heterosexual) comedian, joined the show.[1] The first night they spend in the Rich home, Sam draws a large mural on a wall in the house depicting their recent adventures, including the car accident and Dahlia's release from prison. In addition to his artistic endeavors, he also speaks French. Like the rest of his family, Sam appears to be very clever and adept at trickery. In episode 3, Sam is the key player in an elaborate con of Dahlia's to get the Malloy children into Rosemere Academy.

[edit] Travellers

Name Portrayed by Description
Dale Malloy Todd Stashwick Dahlia's cousin, and self-proclaimed new head of the Malloy Traveller clan. Dale has a violent and unpredictable temper. He and Wayne seem to have a long-standing hatred for each other, and Dale instigated a fistfight between them in the pilot episode. Dale was a former rival for Dahlia's affections, ultimately losing out to Wayne. He seems to have shown flashes of sociopathic behavior from early childhood, a fascination with killing and violence. This culminates in him murdering his father after finding out he would not be chosen as the next head of the clan. Dale later attacks Ken, and forces him to reveal where the Malloys are. Dale soon ends up in Edenfalls after being thrown out of the clan and all his money taken (this might include the protection money that Wayne gave to him), where he befriends Hartley Underwood, who he later has a sexual encounter with. He is less threatening to the Malloys when he approaches Dahlia, this is most likely because he is after Wayne, but there is no absolute proof of that yet.
Earl Malloy Red West Dale's father; former head of the Malloy clan. His unspecified illness left him an invalid, and unable to speak. When Wayne was stealing the clan bank from a safe in Earl's room, Earl could have sounded the alarm by ringing a bell, but apparently chose not to; it was later indicated that he preferred Wayne as the next clan head. He seems to have been a good leader, winning the love, respect and admiration of both Dale and Wayne. Earl was eventually murdered by Dale, who feared losing his power within the clan.
Ginny Dannegan Nichole Hiltz A social climber within the clan, she is determined to marry her slow-witted brother Ken to Di Di, securing a connection between her family and the ruling Malloy line. Although she is pregnant she continually drinks, but when a knife is aimed at her stomach she begins feeling scared for her unborn child, but does not stop endangering her child. Dale approved this match without the knowledge of Wayne or Dahlia. Ginny and Dale are increasingly at odds, with Ginny attempting to undermine Dale's aims to become the new clan boss. As of the second season, she has given brith to her as yet unknown-named child. It is heavily implied that her father and uncle were murdered by Eamon Quinn.
Ken Dannegan Nate Mooney Ginny's brother, who is in love with Di Di. Initially a pawn of Ginny's, he finally realizes that Di Di doesn't love him or want to marry him, and he agrees to let her go. Further, he claims he will protect the family from Ginny. It has been revealed that his slow-wittedness is due to a fever he suffered when he was younger.
Tammy Simms Johanna E. Braddy Cal's girlfriend. He left her behind at the Traveller camp when the family fled; Dale tried to use her, against her will, to find out where the Malloys are.
Linda & Mick O'Malley Andrea Frankle, John McConnell Travellers from another clan who come across Wayne and the family at a gas station as they are making their escape from the Malloy camp. Wayne and Mick have a disagreement, ending in an RV chase that ultimately causes the car accident which kills the real Riches. Dale asks them to kill Wayne, but Mick winds up accidentally shooting Linda in the shoulder.
Eamon Quinn Jared Harris A Traveller released from prison as of Season 2 who is involved with Dale's blackmailing of the Malloys. Like Wayne, he is relatively intelligent, and claims to have received an education from the University of Phoenix while in prison. He is noted to have known Wayne before incarceration. Following Cael's leaving Eden Falls, Quinn begins to act as somewhat of a father figure toward him.
Rosaleen Sarah Jones A young Traveller currently widowed from her young husband. She met Cael after he left Edenfalls and convinced him to join her in her travels, which ultimately brought him back to the Traveler's camp. She has recently become romantically involved with him.

[edit] Edenfalls

A gated community in Ducaine, it's mentioned that the houses of Edenfalls cost upwards of two million dollars. The Edenfalls homeowners association is headed by Hartley Underwood.

Name Portrayed by Description
Jim & Nina Burns Bruce French, Margo Martindale A couple who live in the gated community (Edenfalls) where the real Riches purchased a house just before their deaths. They are the first people to meet the Malloys after they move into the house and assume the Riches' identities. Nina keeps a stock of prescription pills and weed, some of which she has shared with Dahlia, and some of which Dahlia has stolen from her. Nina and Jim have not had sex in several years and Nina's sexual frustration is comically highlighted through various phallic props. While out for a morning run, Wayne sees Nina clutching a coffee mug with a long eggplant-shaped handle that she strokes awkwardly. In "Anything Hugh Can Do, I Can Do Better" Nina creates an enormous penis-like object out of clay while talking to Dahlia. When Dahlia begins to ask what the "sculpture" is, Nina informs her that it is a lighthouse. Jim is a closeted homosexual until Dahlia's friend, Chunky Kay, outs him at a dinner party. It's unclear how Chunky Kay knew he was a homosexual. They lived together with a male friend of Jim. Jim died of a heart attack at his birthday party.
Zoey Burns Jim & Nina's daughter who attends The Rosemere Academy. She was seen in the season two finale, attending her father's funeral.
Wes Jim's partner who became more public when Jim was outed as a homosexual. After celebrating Jim's birthday party at the Riches home, he attended Jim's funeral.


Hartley Underwood Kaitlin Olsen The Malloys' neighbor, Hartley had their RV towed after they parked it on her lawn. Hartley sued Panco after she had her arm ripped off by an alligator that came from a swamp located in the subdivision Panco developed. The lawsuit was dropped after evidence of her kleptomania came to light. Hartley has struck up an odd friendship with Dale Malloy, who is attempting to infiltrate Edenfalls to confront the Malloys. She is married to an older man, apparently for his money, and has made reference to having signed a pre-nuptial agreement.
Ike Michael Welch Ike is a security guard at Edenfalls, currently working for his father and does not like his job. As of the second season, he has developed a romantic relationship with DiDi. In the second season finale, he and DiDi lose their virginities to each other.

[edit] Panco

A highly unethical real estate firm where Wayne Malloy bluffs his way into a job as legal counsel.

Name Portrayed by Description
Hugh Panetta Gregg Henry A wealthy real-estate mogul with a penchant for guns and alcohol. In the pilot episode, Wayne meets him while golfing (at Jim Burns' invitation), and begins to more deeply assume the identity of Doug Rich when Hugh questions him. They make a wager over the golf game and Wayne wins. By the end of episode 2, Wayne has bluffed his way into a job at Panco, one of Hugh's companies. While currently single, Hugh was married multiple times, once to a figure skater, and has children. A recovered drug addict, Hugh relapses in episode 9, when he is inveigled by Chunky K. It has been implied that Panco itself has financial problems and needs investors to stay afloat.
Aubrey Deidrie Henry A paralegal who attends law school. Wayne frequently asks her to investigate cases for him, including Doug's/"his" divorce; she also found the evidence of Hartley Underwood's kleptomania. She knows Wayne isn't the lawyer he claims to be.
Kimmie Teresa Huang An easily excited, eager Panco employee. Kimmie is extremely polite and cheerful to everyone at Panco and appreciates Doug a lot.
Tony Michael Gambino An employee of Panco. While under taking a lie detector test, it's apparently revealed that Tony isn't his real name. In Episode 11, he requests from Wayne that he be allowed his own parking space with his name written on it.
Greg Unknown An employee of Panco, who requests from Wayne that he be allowed his own office.
GiGi Panetta Julie Ann Emery An exotic dancer from Las Vegas who Hugh fell in love with and married, GiGi is reluctant to sign a post-nuptial agreement with Hugh, though she denies she is a gold digger, and expresses concern that Hugh is already doubting their relationship. GiGi later signs the postnuptial agreement, though she includes clauses such as heavy penalties if Hugh is unfaithful – and that they will not engage in certain sexual positions. Her given name is Georgia.

[edit] The Rosemere Academy

Name Portrayed by Description
Jane Fedley Lee Garlington The Principal of Rosemere, who upon discovering the changes made to grade-records, expels Cal.
Brent Michael Trevino After Cal steals his Mercedes, Brent asks him to help him break into the school so he can change his grades via the computer system. He has a crush on Dahlia, and it's implied he has an abusive father.
Erick Stephen Sowan A pot-smoking, guitar-playing teenager who attends Rosemere Academy and shares a class with Di Di. She first encounters him in episode 3; by episode 4 they have played guitar together and shared a kiss. Cal seems to dislike Erick a great deal and is openly unfriendly to him; he also harasses Di Di about him often. He has not been seen or heard of since the first season.

[edit] The Riches

Name Portrayed by Description
Doug Rich (deceased) Unknown Doug Rich was a successful, if unpopular lawyer in Tampa, Florida. He was killed on the way to his new home in Louisiana, after being run off road by an RV driven by the O'Malleys (who were attempting to chase down the Malloys in their RV after an altercation). When asked for a reference, previous employers have warned new potential employers away from him, and there is evidence that he abandoned his first wife and children (based on said first wife's story). In a parallel to Wayne stealing the clan stash and Dahlia hiding it, Doug Rich seems to have acquired an undetermined (but large) amount of money through implied illegal means, which he has hidden securely enough that his ex-wife's lawyers were only able to guess at the amount. While most things revealed about Doug Rich cast a negative light upon him, after the accident, impaled and dying, his first question was to ask if Cherien was all right.
Cherien Rich (deceased) Unknown A highly-trained dental hygienist; she and Doug were recently married. Many of the Malloys' clues about the original Riches come from social contacts Cherien made in preparation for their upcoming move, such as contacting a local Jewish group. She was killed by being thrown from the car the Riches were driving in, and was dead by the time the Malloys reached the car, though Dahlia tried to perform CPR on her.
Jolinda Rich Unknown Doug's ex-wife. She managed to track down Wayne (Doug), because Doug owed $75,000 in alimony. Wayne manages to pay it back by selling one of Jim Burns' alpacas. In Episode 12, Dahlia pretends to be Jolinda on the phone when Pete calls asking about Doug.
Dr. Morgenstein Unknown The mother of the late Cherien Rich. She had been estranged from her daughter and son-in-law and living in a nursing home in Mississippi. Wayne takes Dr. Morgenstein home to Edenfalls when he realizes how expensive the nursing home is. She apparently disliked Cherien, and refers to her as a 'bitch' at one point. Dr. Morgenstein is wheelchair-bound and very senile; she often arbitrarily exclaims, "I made some calls," and frequently asks for various gourmet coffees. She also frequently says "You're not Cherein" to Dahlia. She smokes pot and drinks alcohol.
Pete(deceased) Arye Gross A friend of the deceased Doug Rich, Pete is a needy and unstable man. He was conned into believing Doug wasn't really his friend when he shows up at Wayne and Dahlia's house. They convince him to believe that Doug must have given him the wrong address in order to avoid him. Eventually, Pete tries to commit suicide, but is saved by Wayne and Dahlia. After heading back over to their house and talking with Jim Burns, Pete discovers that Wayne is pretending to be Doug. However, in the first season finale, coming into contact with Dale, is bludgeoned by him, which causes his death via head trauma.
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The Riches
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[edit] References

  1. ^ FX's The Riches will try to con you. Houston Chronicle, 11 March, 2007. Retrieved 15 March, 2007