PREMIERE

POWER, PRIVILEGE AND FAMILY MONEY PROVE A VOLATILE COCKTAIL, ON THE SERIES PREMIERE OF "DIRTY SEXY MONEY," WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

As a boy, Nick George watched his father surrender his freedom and family as the trusted consigliere to the absurdly rich Darlings of New York City. Nick grew up being second to the overpowering family. Burned by his boyhood encounters with them, the idealistic Nick did a 180-degree turn and became a lawyer for the disadvantaged. After the death of his father, family patriarch Tripp Darling offers Nick the opportunity to inherit the responsibility of being the family lawyer and protecting the Darlings' secrets. But the ungodly salary that will allow Nick the freedom to be an altruistic do-gooder is only part of the picture. As he finds himself racing to plead with cops, hush the tabloids and furiously try to wipe the mud off the esteemed Darling reputation, Nick wonders if he has gotten the chance of a lifetime � or a life sentence -- on the premiere of "Dirty Sexy Money," WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Nick must now deal with the powerful and persuasive Tripp Darling, owner of vineyards and homes around the world. He lives with his beautiful, graceful and posh wife, Letitia. While they symbolize the charm and all-Americanism of old money, they also embody scandal and have spawned five grown, troubled children.

Oldest son Patrick Darling is the attorney general for New York. He hides a secret which won't go away, and this potential senatorial candidate needs Nick to fix the situation. The thrice-married socialite Karen is the eldest daughter who lost her virginity to Nick and still looks to him for help in her personal life. Brian Darling is a Reverend in the Episcopal Church, who loathed Nick as a kid and loathes him still. But now Brian needs Nick's help in sweeping a problem under the rug. The youngest Darling siblings are twins and in their 20s -- Juliet, a spoilt celebutante who longs to be taken seriously as an actress, and the frequently hungover Jeremy. He fears he is the family disappointment and that his father hates him. The billions of dollars possessed by the Darling clan have created a great American family -- and those same riches may also demolish it.

In "Pilot," when his father dies in a mysterious plane crash, lawyer Nick George reluctantly accepts an offer from billionaire Tripp Darling to take over Nick's father's job as chief counsel for the obscenely wealthy and influential Darling family. In the course of his hectic first day as the Darlings' personal lawyer, Nick discovers some of the various legal � and illegal � needs of the Darling family's five adult children.

"Dirty Sexy Money" stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Rev. Brian Darling, Samaire Armstrong as Juliet Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Daniel Cosgrove as Freddy, Dan Rather as himself, Bellamy Young as Ellen Darling, Laura Margolis as Daisy, Roxana Brusso as Maria, Elle Fanning as Kiki George, Will Shadley as Brian Jr., Trevor St. John as Devlin George, Chandler Frantz as young Nick, Rae Ritke as Clare George, Tommy Nelson as young Brian, Alexa Gerasimovich as young Karen, Michelle Krusiec as Mel Ling Hwa Darling, Zoey Botnick as Leah Darling and Ashley Botnick as Lacey Darling.

"Pilot" was written by Craig Wright and directed by Peter Horton.

"Dirty Sexy Money" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning.

This program carries a TV-PG,D,L,S parental guideline.