The BBC's latest glossy thriller, Wild Cherry, has arrived with all the trappings of modern wealth-porn television. Set in the deliberately named community of Richford Lake, this six-part series plunges viewers into a world where money solves every problem - until it doesn't.
A World of Privilege and Scandal
The series opens with a telling prologue: four women - two mothers and their daughters - standing in an expensive bathroom in their underwear, desperately scrubbing blood from their hands. This dramatic opening sets the stage for a flashback narrative that gradually reveals how these privileged characters reached this chilling moment.
At the centre of the drama are Juliet, played by Eve Best, and her best friend Lorna, portrayed by Carmen Ejogo. Juliet represents 'old money' and is launching a book on perfect parenting, while Lorna is a self-made businesswoman navigating the same elite circles. Their daughters, Allegra and Grace, attend an exclusive private school where the first scandal erupts when a 'lewd video' featuring the teenagers surfaces.
Teenage Rebellion Meets Digital Danger
The teenage characters prove far more complex than their parents realise. Allegra and Grace have developed a dangerous app featuring 'the catalogue' - a collection of titillating photos taken by and of themselves and their friends. Subscribers can vote on these images, creating a toxic popularity contest that inevitably leads to poor decisions and escalating drama.
Meanwhile, the adult world isn't exactly modelling responsible behaviour. Juliet engages in an affair with a sound technician from her book tour, while new arrival Gigi struggles to find acceptance among the neighbourhood's established social circles. Played by Nicôle Lecky, who also serves as the show's creator, Gigi's attempts at friendship are repeatedly rebuffed by women who dismiss her as either a gold digger or vulgar entrepreneur.
Style Over Substance?
Where Wild Cherry truly shines is in its visual presentation. The production appears to have allocated a significant portion of its budget to wardrobe, with characters adorned in swagged silk, cashmere, and warm beige tones. The fashion choices are so prominent that viewers might wish they'd invested in camel-coloured clothing stocks years earlier.
The series draws clear inspiration from Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, and Nicole Kidman's recent television projects. While it attempts to tackle serious themes like the intersection of race and class prejudice, and critiques the privilege that wealth provides, it never fully commits to these weightier topics. Instead, it often seems more interested in salivating over the material trappings it ostensibly criticises.
Eve Best's performance feels somewhat restrained for this type of soapy thriller, which typically requires actors to fully embrace the melodrama. The arch voiceover narration adds style but sometimes feels unearned, particularly in early episodes.
Despite its flaws, Wild Cherry provides exactly what it promises: trashy fun with pretensions. It's the perfect distraction for long winter evenings when you're willing to set your brain aside and enjoy the spectacle of wealthy people making terrible decisions. As the opening scene makes clear, nothing will end well for these characters - but the journey there proves entertaining enough.
Wild Cherry aired on BBC One and is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
