For some reason, there is something endlessly entertaining about stories that follow the ultra-wealthy, not because we idolize them, but because they offer a revealing lens into power. When we think about it, whether they’re sipping champagne on a yacht or plotting their schemes, rich characters often reflect the extremes of ambition and ego.
Television has long been fascinated with wealth, not just the spectacle, but the psychology that comes with it. From the brutally honest to the emotionally devastating, we look back at some of the best shows that dig into the lives of the ultrarich, all of them peeling back a curtain to reveal what happens behind closed doors when ego and money collide.
10
‘Dynasty’ (2017–2022)
Created by Sallie Patrick, Stephanie Savage, and Josh Schwartz
This reboot of the iconic 1980s series re-imagines the feuding Carrington clan in the age of social media and high-stakes corporate wars. At its center is Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies), a sharp-tongued and ambitious heiress with a powerful, yet toxic family legacy that she’s both trying to escape from and outdo.
Those who enjoy a bit of over-the-top entertainment are probably not going to regret giving Dynasty a try; what sets it apart from its prestige-TV counterparts is its campiness and the way it pushes the boundaries of excess. Behind the glitz, though, Dynasty is also a meditation on power and image, depicting the battles of those who are not just fighting to stay on top but also to look like they effortlessly belong there.
Dynasty
- Release Date
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2017 – 2022-00-00
- Network
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ABC
9
‘Revenge’ (2011–2015)
Created by Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley‘s dramatic soap-thriller hybrid revolves around Emily Throne, played by Emily Van Camp, a seemingly sweet outsider who infiltrates the elite world of the Hamptons in high society. Her mission? To destroy the people who framed her father and ruined her family.
This standout show in the rich-people TV canon intriguingly weaponized wealth, illustrating how money does not just buy status but also secrets and power plays. While some of the later seasons were a tad disappointing, Revenge is still regarded as a highly entertaining show at its peak, providing escapist fun for those who want to delve into its old-money society and gilded cage of privilege.
Revenge
- Release Date
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2011 – 2014
- Network
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ABC
8
‘Gossip Girl’ (2007–2014)
Created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz
The perfect pick for younger audiences who enjoy a bit of young adult drama, Gossip Girl is narrated by the elusive and all-seeing blogger of the same name, chronicling the lives of Manhattan’s privileged prep school elite. At the heart of it all are Serena (Blake Lively) and Blair (Leighton Meester), best friends turned frenemies as they navigate love and betrayal.
Groundbreaking in its use of social media and its influence on a generation, Gossip Girl is a defining entry in the rich-people universe, involving audiences in the lives of rich kids who use their wealth as both a shield and a weapon. At its core, the Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz show illustrates how wealth isolates, pressures, and corrupts even at a young age.
7
‘Arrested Development’ (2003–2019)
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
The Bluths are in a league of their own when it comes to dysfunctional families on television, and that is saying something. Arrested Development is a sharp satire that follows Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the one responsible adult in a crumbling real estate empire, as he tries to keep his self-absorbed family from sinking further into scandal and fraud.
The Mitchell Hurwitz show perfectly strips the delusions of wealth, depicting a broke family that refuses to admit it, clinging to their money status like a birthright instead. Unlike the more glamorous entries mentioned on this list, Arrested Development doesn’t romanticize the rich; it ridicules them instead, inevitably resulting in the perfect pick for those who enjoy comedic chaos.
6
‘Billions’ (2016–2023)
Created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin
Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin‘s Billions is a high-octane drama that explores the cutthroat world of hedge funds, political ambition, and ego. At the center of the show is the clash between U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti) and titan Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), later joined by Mike Prince (Corey Stoll), as the series’ bonds shift.
Framing extreme wealth as both intoxicating and corrosive, Billions peels back the curtain on the elite financial and political circles. Instead of basking in the aesthetic pleasure that comes with money, the 2016 series delves into the psychology behind it. Featuring smart dialogue, cultural references, and a couple of jaw-dropping plays, Billions is a solid, gripping, cerebral watch for those intrigued by the high-stakes battles of the 0.01%.
Billions
- Release Date
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2016 – 2022
- Network
-
Showtime
5
‘Big Little Lies’ (2017–2026)
Created by David E. Kelley
Featuring no shortage of talented stars — from Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon to Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz—Big Little Lies is both a social satire and a compelling character study. Set against the backdrop of Monterey, California, it quickly unravels from a murder mystery into an examination of privilege and the lies people tell to themselves and others to preserve their perfect lives.
Big Little Lies stands out from the rest in the way it effectively depicts how wealth can be a prison, with its protagonists living seemingly perfect lives that are realistically far from aspirational. Tackling sensitive themes of grief, domestic abuse, and infidelity, the David E. Kelley show is stylish and suspenseful, but deeply human above all. Best of all, fans can look forward to even more drama as a new season of Big Little Lies has officially been confirmed after a five-year hiatus.
4
‘The White Lotus’ (2021–)
Created by Mike White
When it comes to dissecting the absurdities of wealth with dark humor and dread, few shows come close to Mike White‘s The White Lotus. The anthology series follows wealthy vacationers as they descend upon luxury resorts in Hawaii, Sicily, and, most recently, Thailand, served by staff who must cater to their whims. Each season opens with a dead body, working backwards through a week of dysfunction and privilege, and inviting audiences to uncover the murder mysteries.
The White Lotus captures the singular kind of discontent that comes with having everything and yet being terrible people or downright miserable. It is a solid satire on those dripping with entitlement, completely unaware of how their wealth distorts their self-perception and relationships with the world. Rather than glorifying the lives of the wealthy, though, The White Lotus leans into the contrast between their luxury and inner emptiness.
The White Lotus
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024
- Network
-
HBO
-
-
Natasha Rothwell
Belinda Lindsey
3
‘Downton Abbey’ (2010–2015)
Created by Julian Fellowes
Before there were modern rich-people dynamics on television, there was Julian Fellowes‘ iconic Downton Abbey, the sweeping blueprint period drama that takes us inside the grand estate of the Crawley family and the lives of the servants who keep their world running. Set in 20th-century Yorkshire, England, it balances the upstairs and downstairs lives against the backdrop of changing times and crumbling class systems.
At its core, Downton Abbey analyses its legacy, including how to preserve it and who deserves it. As Lord Grantham and his family cling to their estate and navigate love, war, scandal, and the erosion of the elite lifestyle, the downstairs staff, more emotionally grounded, provide a contrasting perspective on survival and duty. What makes the series captivating is not only its reverence for elegance, but also for its subtle critique of privilege.
Downton Abbey
- Release Date
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September 12, 2019
- Runtime
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122 minutes
2
‘The Crown’ (2016–2023)
Created by Peter Morgan
Another British show that sits at the very top when it comes to depictions of wealth and power, Peter Morgan‘s The Crown chronicles the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, tracing decades of royal duty, sacrifice, and political upheaval. Each season spans different eras and talented casts, from Imelda Staunton, Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Colman, and Elizabeth Debicki.
While The Crown is a solid choice for those who admire royalty, it also dissects it in an interesting way by taking viewers behind palace walls where the gilded lifestyle comes with emotional sacrifice and isolation. It is a visually stunning and well-researched period piece that fascinates with its opulence, even though its true strength lies in how it questions that same grandeur. The series was a rumored favorite of the Queen herself, who reportedly enjoyed watching episodes on Sundays.
The Crown
- Release Date
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2016 – 2022
- Writers
-
Peter Morgan
1
‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
Created by Jesse Armstrong
The lovechild of The White Lotus and Billions, Succession has become the ultimate eat-the-rich fan-favorite. HBO’s masterwork centers around the Roy family, a media dynasty with unimaginable wealth and almost zero emotional intelligence. At its heart is Logan Roy (Brian Cox), a ruthless patriarch whose adult children jockey for his approval and control of the family empire.
Succession reveals the hollowness behind obscene wealth, revealing how the Roys can buy pretty much anything they like except for emotional connection or self-worth. It is a fantastic character study, with every scene humming with tension and impossibly high stakes, but not without its occasional laugh-out-loud funny moments. In a TV landscape where shows about the rich thrive, the brutally honest Succession leads the pack and obliterates it.
Succession
- Release Date
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2018 – 2023
- Network
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HBO Max