"WINDFALL" A BREEZY GUILTY PLEASURE

June 30, 2006

As far as guilty summer pleasures go, TV watchers could do a lot worse than "Windfall," NBC's summer drama that follows 20 lottery winners after they win a $300-million-plus jackpot. The show has a breezy charm and features a group of characters more likeable than not (with one notable exception, which we'll get to later).

That's not to say "Windfall" is a particularly deep or clever series. The show coasts along on the various what-if-I-win-lottery scenarios we all turn over in our heads when that payout number reaches ridiculous heights. Two winners fly to Paris for a shopping spree. Others hire personal chefs and set up deluxe backyard carnivals for their children. The big win sends all these lives spiraling in different and fun directions.

So far my favorite lottery winner is Damien, a teenager not yet out of high school who initially wasn't even allowed to collect his winnings because of his age. Damien is the smartest of the winners, however, and he quickly finds a legal loophole that will gain him access to the money - he marries a beautiful Russian mail-order bride. He then moves out of his parents' house and into a hotel room, throws big parties, and buys a fancy sports car … you know, just as any teenager who suddenly finds himself worth millions of dollars would do.

In a TV interview held shortly after the jackpot winners are made public, a reporter asks Damien if he plans on continuing his education. "Absolutely," he replies. "Just not in school." Now, that's a good answer.

I'm sure this sounds somewhat insipid in print, but actor Jon Foster ("Life as We Know it") actually succeeds in making Damien "Windfall"'s most dynamic character. Heck, there's even an interesting love triangle set up between Damien, a pretty young classmate of his (whose mom is also one of the winners) and the Russian wife.

Other characters are given less to do but make the most of their parts. Nurse Maggie (Jaclyn DeSantis) just wants to find a man not obsessed with her newfound riches. Peter (Luke Perry - yes, that Luke Perry) is a laid-back father who remains level-headed about the money even when the eventual lawsuits come pouring in.

Unfortunately, one storyline feels completely out of place with the rest of the show, and even worse, it's the one "Windfall" spends the most time on. One of the lottery winners is Sean (D.J. Cotrona), a young man with a criminal past who may or may not be a murderer. Because of his run-ins with the law, Sean can't publicly collect his winnings, so he has a leggy, upscale lawyer whom he's seduced accept the millions for him. Before long, some of Sean's thuggish acquaintances have shown up and the lawyer, who Sean may actually be in love with, has gone missing.

The whole storyline screams "generic thriller," and every time the focus turns to Sean, the show stops dead in its tracks. There are other absurd plots happening on the show -- like the baby boy who lottery winner Cameron (Jason Gedrick) brings home after its drug-addicted mother falsely accuses him of being the father -- but none revolve around a character so devoid of charisma.

On a show with more of an upside, one bad character can be a killer. But since "Windfall" is little more than a pleasant way to pass a few summer evenings, it doesn't matter so much in the end. If this were September, there'd be no time for a such a lightweight series. But being that the calendar's about to flip over to July, consider "Windfall" recommended.