D!rt (also spelled d!rt) was an American television serial broadcast on the f(x) network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow. A 13-episode second and final season was announced on May 8, 2007. Only seven episodes were produced before the 2007 WGA strike shut down production. The shortened second season began airing on March 2, 2008.[1] The show was created by Matthew Carnahan and produced by Coquette Productions
and ABC Studios. On June 8, 2008, FX canceled the series after two seasons
Lucy Spiller is the dual editor-in-chief of the respectable tabloids Dirt and Now Magazine, a ruthless but professional woman with little to no regard for the fallout as she exposes the gritty underbelly of glamourous Hollywood.
Main characters:
- Lucy Spiller (Courteney Cox), editor-in-chief. Cutthroat, demanding, and pushes her crew to their very limits. Somewhat understandable, as she is constantly on the verge of being fired for going over budget. Not particularly concerned about how her articles affect other people's lives.
- Don Konkey (Ian Hart), freelance photographer (read: paparazzi), childhood friend of Lucy and pretty much the only person she trusts unconditionally. He struggles with manageable schizophrenia and has some serious mother issues, but he's still one of the very best photographers in the city.
- Willa McPherson (Alex Breckenridge), a young reporter for Dirt Now. At the beginning of the show she's a bit naive, but very ambitious and devoted. She greatly admires Lucy and by mid-season learns to be just as cunning and manipulative as her.
- Brent Barrow (Jeffrey Nordling), Dirt Now's publisher. Constantly at odds with Lucy, mostly for budget-related issues, but also when one of Lucy's articles gets him into serious trouble with a rapper. Has an affair with Willa in season one, until she grows a spine and dumps him.
- Holt McLaren (Josh Stewart), has-been actor who turns to Lucy for help to revive his career. They end up having an affair, despite Holt living together with his girlfriend, the actress Julia Mallory.
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: In the first season finale, Lucy gets a visit from an old friend, played by who else but Jennifer Aniston.
- Code Silver: "Not Your Father's Hostage Situation"
- Even Evil Has Standards: In the series, Lucy has a reputation of being evil incarnate. However, she holds journalistic integrity above all else; she's only interested in the truth, not gossip (no matter how big it may be), and she always protects her sources.
- Executive Meddling: Lucy battles this in-universe.
- The Gwen Stacy: Kenny in "Not Your Father's Hostage Situation". Sammy shoots him just to remind everyone to take him seriously.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Don's recaps at the beginning of each episode. He's either talking to the audience, or just hallucinating.
- Manipulative Bitch: Lucy.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Averted: All the celebrities involved in the plot are fictional (except for a brief cameo in episode one by David Fincher). Real-life celebs are alluded to, or mentioned only by their first name (Britney, Paris, etc).
- Serious Business: Tabloids, of course.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Very much on the cynical end.
- Story Arc: The first season is driven by Julia's downfall, and the cryptic suicide note left behind by Lucy's father when she was fifteen.
