‘Palm Royale,’ ‘Yellowstone,’ ‘The Crown’ & More Shows That Make Being Rich Look Miserable
Television is often a great escape from the harsh realities of day-to-day life, and in some cases, a good reminder that wealth doesn’t buy happiness as many series can attest.
Whether you’re watching the Roys feud over positions at Waystar Royco on Succession, seeing the Usher kids get killed off in The Fall of the House of Usher, or seeing the struggles one goes through to make it into the upper-echelon of Palm Royale‘s high society, TV is a great way to see how being rich can look miserable.
Below, we’re rounding up a few of the shows that drive this point home fairly well. Did your favorites make the cut? Sound off in the comments section.
Succession
It’s clear from the first season that there’s little love between the Roys, who are more concerned about their role at the family’s multi-billion dollar conglomerate than their own father Logan’s (Brian Cox) health. While Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) have their sweet moments over the show’s run, they’re completely screwed up for life from the wealth their father amassed during his career. Although it’s terrible for them, it’s part of what made watching so enjoyable for viewers at home.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan‘s spin on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, revolves around the titular family who reap the rewards of big pharma. While patriarch Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) stands trial with his company, it’s his children who suffer the worst fates as they mysteriously begin dying one by one. Their demises stem from a deal made long ago with a woman named Verna (Carla Gugino), who has had a hand in the lives of many wealthy families.
Palm Royale
Apple TV+‘s series follows Kristen Wiig‘s Maxine Simmons, a woman desperate to break into Palm Beach’s high society, but the extreme lengths she takes to get there forces one to ask whether the outcome is worth the journey. All of the wealthy women she’s eager to rub elbows with don’t seem all that happy themselves, proving that money is just money.
The White Lotus
Both seasons (so far) of Mike White‘s HBO anthology, The White Lotus, have introduced viewers to some of the most miserable rich people to grace our TV screens. A prime example is Season 2’s vacationing couples, Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy), and Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Ethan (Will Sharpe). Through the course of that season, we learn just how toxic Cameron and Daphne’s dynamic is under the surface, serving as a warning sign to the newly rich Ethan and his wife Harper.
The Crown
Whether you’ve watched the Netflix royal drama or not, knowledge about the British Royal Family’s history in recent years is all the information you need to know that The Crown doesn’t paint wealth in a pretty light. Perhaps that’s the tragedy of it, that duty trumps all else when it comes to the family’s potential happiness. This is particularly apparent in Season 4’s dynamic between Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) and Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who find themselves trapped in an unhappy marriage forged from duty.
Big Little Lies
The banal and borderline miserable lives of upper-class Monterey housewives Celeste (Nicole Kidman), Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), and Renata (Laura Dern) are flipped upside down with the arrival of Shailene Woodley‘s Jane, whose dark past puts all of their problems under a brightly-lit metaphorical microscope. When things turn to murder, their seemingly perfect exteriors begin to crumble.
Arrested Development
The money may be in the banana stand for the Bluths in this former Fox comedy that eventually landed on Netflix, but the fact that they’re accustomed to wealth hits hard when they’re forced to live with less. With patriarch George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) in prison, all of the pressures fall onto the shoulders of level-headed son Michael (Jason Bateman), who has to deal with his frightful family’s issues.
Dallas
The CBS primetime soap memorably followed the Ewings, a Texas-based family who owned an independent oil company and cattle ranch. But among the Ewings, peace wasn’t common as their feuds took centerstage. But what makes them particularly miserable in their wealth? No one is exactly safe as fans will recall the cliffhanger of “Who shot J.R.?”
Dynasty
ABC’s primetime soap from producer Aaron Spelling revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy family — including oil magnate Blake (John Forsythe), his new wife Krystle (Linda Evans), and his ex-wife Alexis (Joan Collins) — living in Denver, Colorado. There’s plenty of scheming and manipulation in this classic series, making it a perfect fit for this list.
Gossip Girl
The former CW series about privileged Upper East Side teens is a great example of why being rich isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you have a secret gossip in your midst. While their clothing may be glamorous, the reality of these teens’ lives as rich kids is anything but.
Squid Gamel
While Squid Game may follow one man’s attempt to become rich after suffering from a gambling addiction and other financial struggles, the journey proves to be a negative one. Recruited to play the titular Squid Game, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), participates in a variety of children’s games against hundreds of other competitors until one survivor remains. The game is also put on for the enjoyment of wealthy sponsors, proving the riches Seong Gi-hun chases are anything but pure.
Yellowstone
The Dutton family may own the largest ranch in Montana, but their lives are no walk on the prairie, with various enemies to contend with as they attempt to keep hold of their borders. And that doesn’t answer for the lingering trauma and feuds within the family itself, proving that money and land can’t buy this brood’s happiness.
