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So when I heard one of my all-time favorite funny guys was doing a new series, I was more than happy. “The Riches,” which premieres Monday night on FX doesn’t disappoint. It’s about a family of travelers/ gypsies who decide to take on the identity of a wealthy family killed in a car crash.  Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver take on the identity of the parents Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, and their three children are happy to play along.

I’m making it all sound simple but it’s not. “The Riches” is a complicated mix of comedy and drama and is created by Dmitry Lipkin. “I wanted to write a show about a family who pretends to be someone who they’re not,” Lipkin says. “I’m sort of an immigrant. I came here from Russia when I was 10 and grew up in Louisiana. I kind of decided I wanted to be something different.

“For this I went through a couple of variations in theme and stumbled upon the travelers. These people really do exist. They’re called Tinkers in Ireland. And there’s probably about 20-to 30,000 travelers in the United States. These guys live off the grid completely and I find that fascinating.”

Izzard says that while the pilot is fairly dark, there well be more comedy in future episodes. “I think we wanted to set up this world, and show you this place where this family begins its journey,” says Izzard. “With my background, and Minnie has a great ability with humor, you will see that in future stories.”

The comedian had wanted to do American television for some time. “It’s where the best writing is these days,” he says. “When I came across this, I could past it up.”

There are several new shows debuting this week and here’s a quick rundown:

Raines: Premiering on NBC Thursday stars Jeff Goldblum, Madeline Stowe and Matt Craven.  Goldblum portrays an LAPD Detective, Michael Raines, who is having psychotic episodes. The murder victims of his cases actually appear to him and help him unravel the details. He’s not psychic, he’s crazy, but he hides it fairly well. I kind of liked this one and want to give it at least a few more episodes.

Also on Thursday night is “Andy Barker, P.I.” starring Andy Richter in the lead role. He’s a CPA, who through mistaken identity becomes a private eye. The pilot is cute, but subsequent episodes are much funnier. It’s Richter’s sweetness in the middle of all the chaos that makes this one funny.

Halfway Home premieres Wednesday on Comedy Central, and it’s about an eclectic group of convicts who are stuck in the Crenshaw House.  These semi-hardened parolees have a tough time getting along, but that’s what makes it funny. If you like “Reno 911,” check this one out. And you may recognize a few familiar faces from “The Office.”

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