'The Philanthropist'
Two stars
9 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5
It pains me to report that it was all I could do not to skim the first episode of "The Philanthropist," fast-forwarding on the "two arrow" option. It has so much going for it: James Purefoy, a scruffily charming actor; a big budget; non-stop adventure; a moral. It could have invented a new genre: extreme charity.
You know the portion of "The Amazing Race" each week, when the contestants get driven through poor neighborhoods in various countries and they cry about how sad it is? "The Philanthropist" is like that, except much longer.
Purefoy plays Teddy Rist, the 99th richest person in the world and a legendary playboy. On a business trip to Nigeria, he stumbles into a natural disaster and finds redemption in helping to rescue a young boy.
If only the series had been set before he found meaning. But just a year earlier, his son had died. We learn this when we visits his ex-wife, played by Krista Allen, the woman many of us are hoping in real life will make an honest man of George Clooney. On the show, she's the kind of woman who performs home improvement tasks braless, in an off-the-shoulder sweater.
Purefoy's backup actors are talented enough: Jesse L. Martin as his best friend and co-CEO, and Neve Campbell as Martin's wife. But the first episode centers on Teddy's compulsive need to do something. Writing a check is no longer enough for him (although many charities may disagree). He decides to deliver a cholera vaccine to a remote Nigerian village personally, even if it means he gets shot at, loses his shoes, is bit by a snake, and gets lost in the jungle. Will Purefoy be writhing in agony every episode?
If you can get past the patronizing only-a-white-man-can-save-the-needy concept, the series could be an illuminating look at what's going on in the rest of the world. It's too educational and earnest for me to consider it "entertainment," but other viewers might be better people than me.
If you do make it through more than one episode, be sure to list it as "volunteer hours" on your resume.
Dear Chrononaut, while I do agree with you on the entertainment value of the show “The Philanthropist” you however seem not to have grasped my criticism of the episode “Nigeria Part 2”. I am of the opinion that no matter how entertaining a program is, it must be based on truth and provable facts, as well as being educative.
Having had firsthand knowledge of Nigeria, I find that a lot of what that episode portrayed were fails. To mention a few;
1. There are no hurricanes in the West Coast of Africa where Nigeria The kind of natural disasters you find are things like, thunder storms, erosions, draughts, wind storms and locust swarming mainly in the northern parts. So its mis-education and poor research when they talk about hurricanes in the show.
2. Nigeria became a presidential democracy since May 1999, so when the episode in question portrays a nation where generals are in charge of things! That is wrong also. Granted that Nigerian democracy is nothing to write home about, one thing that is sure is the “generals” are no longer running the show to the extent displayed in the episode.
3. The architecture of the local huts in the show do not in any way reflect the type you find in the southern part of Nigeria.
4. More importantly the characters that acted Nigerians in the episode all have South African accent… Lol!
I could go on and on, but the above are enough to stress my point. Now thinking about these I wonder how realistic the settings in the other episodes like are; France, Myanmar etc really reflect the people and place. May I ask you Chrononaut, how much of the world outside the US do you know? That is what shows should teach us as we watch them…. On what basis do you refer to my review as garbage given the above?
All am saying is that if a show should be made and broadcast to the audience, it should not only entertain, it should educate and inform its audience the TRUTH about the setting of the show.
NBC's Philanthropist is the most poorly researched misleading program I have seen. I just watched the "Nigeria part 2" and being of Nigerian parentage I feel insulted by that episode. It is at it's very best an edition in VERY BAD taste.
In the first place there is no longer military government in power in Nigeria, so one wonders what their Gen. Bankole's role is in the movie. More any well informed person would just know off-hand that the "natives' in the program all have south African accent...
Please NBC stop misleading and miss informing Americans!
What a garbage review. God forbid a show actually have a positive message behind it. It was actually a fun little show and definitely not as black-and-white as you made it sound. Purefoy's character engages in an orgy, has his bodyguard serving him liquor in Nigeria, and hitches a ride on a drug dealer's plane to deliver the vaccine. There's huge potential for a very memorable TV character, like Tony Stark without the Iron Man suit.