The Philanthropist (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Philanthropist is an American action drama series
that premiered on NBC on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The program is a limited summer series, principally filmed in South Africa. It opened to strong ratings, but saw a drop in viewers in subsequent weeks. The Philanthropist is a Carnival Films
production in association with The Levinson/Fontana Company and Original Media. Tom Fontana
, Barry Levinson
, Peter Horton
, Charlie Corwin, Gareth Neame and Teri Weinberg serve as executive producers.
On October 21, 2009, the series was canceled by NBC (probably due to high costs for filming), though fans have been seeking to keep the show on the air using Facebook
and a charitable cause called "Save The Philanthropist through Charity".
), is a billionaire playboy haunted by the death of his only child. His life changes when he rescues a young boy during a hurricane in Nigeria. As a result, Rist begins using his fortune to personally change the lives of others. The Philanthropist is based loosely on the life of Bobby Sager
.
on 7Two
, a Seven Network
digital channel.
until September 18, 2011.
The complete series was released on January 5, 2010 on DVD in Region 1
. It was released as a two-disc set, with a total running time of 300 minutes. As of February 2010 there is no future release date for other regions.
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
that premiered on NBC on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The program is a limited summer series, principally filmed in South Africa. It opened to strong ratings, but saw a drop in viewers in subsequent weeks. The Philanthropist is a Carnival Films
Carnival Films
Carnival Films is a British television production company, founded by Brian Eastman in 1978 as Picture Partnership Productions Limited and run by Gareth Neame since 2005. The company swiftly built up a strong reputation as an independent production company of theatre, film and television drama...
production in association with The Levinson/Fontana Company and Original Media. Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
, Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
, Peter Horton
Peter Horton
Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:...
, Charlie Corwin, Gareth Neame and Teri Weinberg serve as executive producers.
On October 21, 2009, the series was canceled by NBC (probably due to high costs for filming), though fans have been seeking to keep the show on the air using Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and a charitable cause called "Save The Philanthropist through Charity".
Synopsis
The title character, Teddy Rist (portrayed by James PurefoyJames Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
), is a billionaire playboy haunted by the death of his only child. His life changes when he rescues a young boy during a hurricane in Nigeria. As a result, Rist begins using his fortune to personally change the lives of others. The Philanthropist is based loosely on the life of Bobby Sager
Bobby Sager
Bobby Sager is an American philanthropist and photographer, best known for founding the Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow, a charitable organization. Sager also was a partner and the president of Gordon Brothers Group from 1985 to 2000.- Early life :Sager was raised in Malden,...
.
Cast
| Cast | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| James Purefoy James Purefoy James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:... |
Teddy Rist | A British-American billionaire, driven to do good works after the death of his son |
| Jesse L. Martin Jesse L. Martin Jesse L. Martin is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for originating the role of Tom Collins in the Broadway theatrical production of Rent, and for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Ed Green on the NBC drama television series Law & Order.-Early life:Martin, the third of... |
Philip Maidstone | Co-CEO of Rist's company and best friend to Teddy |
| Neve Campbell Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager... |
Olivia Maidstone | Philip's wife, runs the company's charitable foundation |
| Michael Kenneth Williams | Dax | Iraq war veteran, Teddy's body guard |
| Lindy Booth Lindy Booth Lindy Booth is a Canadian actress who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She's best known for playing Riley Grant on the Disney Channel series The Famous Jett Jackson and Claudia on Relic Hunter. She also portrayed A.J... |
A.J. Butterfield | Director of Special Projects at Maidstone-Rist |
| Krista Allen Krista Allen Krista Allen is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the television series Days of Our Lives, Baywatch Hawaii, and What About Brian; and in the Hollywood films Liar Liar, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Anger Management, and The Final Destination... |
Julia Carson Rist | Teddy's ex-wife |
| James Albrecht | Gerard Kim | Teddy's personal assistant |
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|
US ratings
| Order | Episode | Rating | Share | Rating/share Nielsen Ratings Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States... (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
Rank (Night) |
Rank (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 4.8 | 9 | 2.0/6 | 7.41 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2 | "Myanmar" | 3.7 | 7 | 1.5/4 | 5.72 | 2 | 8 | 28 |
| 3 | "Paris" | 3.7 | 7 | 1.4/4 | 5.14 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| 4 | "Nigeria (Part 2)" | 2.8 | 5 | 1.1/4 | 4.35 | 3 | 10 | 24 |
| 5 | "Kosovo" | 3.1 | 6 | 1.1/3 | 4.74 | 3 | 9 | 20 |
| 6 | "San Diego" | 3.1 | 6 | 1.4/4 | 4.95 | 3 | 8 | 15 |
| 7 | "Kashmir" | 2.8 | 5 | 1.2/4 | 4.35 | 3 | 8 | 24 |
| 8 | "Haiti" | 3.2 | 6 | 1.2/4 | 4.68 | 3 | 8 | 25 |
Non-US showings and re-airings
In December 2010 and January 2011, the show was aired in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
, a Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
digital channel.
Home video
As of August 2009, all 8 episodes can be viewed on HuluHulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
until September 18, 2011.
The complete series was released on January 5, 2010 on DVD in Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
. It was released as a two-disc set, with a total running time of 300 minutes. As of February 2010 there is no future release date for other regions.