Broke

The clash of the classes under one roof is the engine of many British dramas, like ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Upstairs, Downstairs,’ or ‘Downton’ creator Julian Fellowes’ latest debut, ‘Belgravia.’

Of course, stateside, those clashes often happen within families, and the premise of the wealthy relatives getting their comeuppance and crashing in on the broke relations is suddenly timely.

You’d be tempted to think the broadcast networks saw this coming. CBS just debuted ‘Broke,’ one of two network sitcoms about rich families losing it all and slumming it with family –- the other one being NBC’s ‘Indebted.’  And while both were created before our current pandemic and economic freefall, their storylines will resonate with many families right now.

‘Broke’ has the edge on the clever, with the added bonus of starring network fan favorite Pauley Perrette (NCIS), a single mom with a 9-year-old boy. She’s joined by edgier comedy-circuit master Natasha Leggero (Another Period) as her estranged, filthy-rich sister, and ever-charming Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin) as her sauve husband, heir to a Mexican fortune who’s been cut off.

The familiar sitcom banter, network gloss and levity weave together to keep it all featherweight. But there’s enough truth to the tensions to hit home.