Hmmm … what to say about The Philanthropist…. I was pretty excited by the premise of this show when NBC announced it, simply because it was very different from everything else out there. You’re not going to believe this, but the main character, Teddy Rist, is not a cop, a doctor nor a lawyer. No, I’m not making that up. He’s not a vampire, either.
Businessman, philanderer, philanthropist … no medical degree — did I say that already? Teddy Rist is an interesting character, and what struck me immediately about him is that he’s understatedly spunky. His adventure to get a vaccine to a remote village in Nigeria is juxtaposed with him ordering his assistant to have some decent booze delivered, because all they have is Jim Beam. James Purefoy‘s got a great face — expressive, wise-assy, tender, hard.
It gets better, though.
Because he’s telling his story to a bartender he’s trying to pick up, there’s a voice-over for nearly all of the episode. Perhaps it’s my penchant for Burn Notice and Dexter, but I’m just in love with a good voice-over. This one was OK, not up to BN and Dexter standards, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The cinematography is spectacular, and it watches like a high-budget TV movie. The framing, the lighting, the transitions … lovely and stylized, from the closely-framed shots to the wide angle scenery.
What I can’t figure out is where they are going to go with future episodes of this show, and if it will sustain my interest. If it’s simply going to be Touched by an Angel with a rich guy instead of Roma Downey, I’m not sure I’m signing on for the long haul. I will definitely be tuning in for the next few episodes, though, to see where The Philanthropist‘s adventures will take us next.
Just a few other things worth mentioning:
The Philanthropist premieres next Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00 on NBC.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Jun 18, 2009 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
