The Philanthropist by NBC self indulgent guff?

The Philanthropist is a new show on NBC starring James Purefoy as a billionaire philanthropist. See what they did with the name, how utterly clever! With a tagline that reads “It’s a global adventure that will take you to the ends of the earth and will also inspire you.” You’d expect this to be a great show.

Here’s the upshot. Purefoy plays Teddy Rist, a billionaire who decides his life has little meaning so he heads off looking for adventure and a chance to save the world. In the pilot we see Rist’s story of how he saved a young Nigerian boy from certain death along with other heroic deeds. The Philanthropist could work, if the lead character wasn’t so obnoxious, as the supporting cast is actually pretty cool, including the likes of Neve Campbell (Party of Five and the Scream films) and Jessie L Martin. Reviews so far seem to be panning the show for its unlikable lead character, though the production values are getting rated pretty highly. Let’s see how long this one lasts shall we.