Another of NBC’s new Summer series, The Philanthropist, got off to a moderately successful start in the ratings but has been losing steam quickly. Should NBC show some charity and keep it around or should they just cancel it already?
The Philanthropist tells the story of Teddy Rist (James Purefoy), a billionaire playboy who is haunted by the death of his only child. After rescuing a young boy from a hurricane, Rist begins using his wealth to help those in need. The show also features the talents of Jesse L. Martin, Neve Campbell, Michael K. Williams, Lindy Booth, Bonnie Henna, Dominique McElligott, and James Albrecht.
The drama premiered on June 24th and attracted an average of 7.41 million viewers and a 2/6 rating/share of the 18-49 demographic. For a Summer series, that looks like pretty decent performance on the surface but less so when you look at the specifics.
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The show lost 35% of the audience from the last half hour of the successful America’s Got Talent lead-in. What’s more, many viewers tuned out before the premiere of Philanthropist was over. That’s not a good sign and a sure indication that those viewers probably won’t be back the following week.
The second week, the Philanthropist ratings dropped significantly to 5.69 million viewers and a 1.4/4 rating/share in the demo. Week three fell further and by week four, Philanthropist fell to 4.28 million and a dismal 1.1/4. Last week’s viewer numbers perked up a little to 4.74 million but the all-important demo remained dismally the same.
With numbers like these, there’s not much hope that NBC will feel charitable and renew the series for a second year. On the positive side, with just three episodes left to air, the network will surely let the short season play out.
What do you think? Is the show worth saving or should NBC have cut their losses and cancelled it already?
Image courtesy NBC.
Just because a series does not achieve the figures expect from Neilsen’s ratings does not mean that it isn’t being watch and a success. Mark W (post 74) has hit the nail on the head with his comments. If only someone from the networks could see this and find ways to take advantage of it. The Philanthropist is excellent, fun and exciting all the while educating you about the social and political dynamics of the world and the problems faced by those who live in it. A great filler between the major TV series we all know and love. I… Read more »
I am looking forward to 24 and Lie to Me. While waiting, I have really enjoyed Philanthropist. The show of a playboy with a heart has quite a flair, and who can beat a show that takes you vicariously all over the world? Please keep it and keep the flavor. Also, Nielson and Arbitron do not understand VOD and Hulu.com viewers. I own a tv, an s-video cable, a pc, and a wifi antenna for free public internet signal, free hulu.com tv with ads that do not crowd out the shows the way regular cable/tv does. Now if we could… Read more »
great show with value to tell….
bunch of dodo birds watching talent shows instead of this entertaining adventure
wtf is up with the damn poll. such bull ****. badly worded poll. voted yes of course, thinking it was to keep the show. dumbass poll writer. re write it dumbass, not cause i’m pissed but because you should not be biased.
I love this show but the poll is worded to confuse. I also voted “yes, of course” thinking I was voting to keep the show.
Why does NBC cancel its best shows? They cancelled “Kings” which was another great show and now they are threatening to cancel “The Philanthropist”. Please don’t cancel, this is a great show!
Almost all TV shows’ existence are based on their ratings. This show falls into a very special category who’s existence should not be grouped together with the rest. Why? Educational merit. huh? wha? The material so far has touched on how difficult some conflicts can be. Even under circumstances where money is no object, social conflicts from different cultures are being exposed as almost unsolvable (keyword here: almost). For this alone, should be reason enough to continue to allow the writers to expose the problems that are prevalent in the global landscape, not to mention some of the creative solutions… Read more »
Well, hopefully NBC will not go by the poll published here. I voted incorrectly, meant to say “Yes, keep it” and accidentally voted “Yes, of course”, which meant to cancel it. Strange way of forming the question guys. I noticed that 22% voted that way including my vote and wonder how many others actually meant they wanted the show saved. I think it’s wonderful. It not only educates me, but moved me to actually volunteer to do something. There are a lot of things we don’t know and unfortunately after a your own bad day it’s easy to turn off… Read more »
I love ‘The Philanthropist.’ I love how it explores the depths of the ‘give a man a fish, teach a man to fish’ dynamic. I would buy the season DVD if it were available. The writers do a great job exploring the intricasies of charity ethics and increasing awareness without being too preachy.
Keep it. NBC does a terrible job supporting good shows. LIFE is the best example. Kings is another. The Philanthropist is the latest example. They bail on shoes too soon. Viewers who invest in their shows will bail on them. This is why their overall position is so low.
Keep the Philanthropist please. It is a brilliantly written show and has an A-cast which performs very well. Absolutely love it!! James Purefoy delivers…
Great show. Love the look. Love the message. Give it a shot to grow a loyal following.
NBC, please keep the show. One of the best of the season!
I feel sorry for anonymous #46 above. He needs to read about Bobby Sager and understand, that while yes, this is television the “real life philanthropist” has indeed been shot at and many other things we sheltered Americans hopefully will never experience.
People are not watching this show because it blames america and rich people for all the problems of the world. The world had problems before America and will have greater problems after America is gone. No one wants to watch another “blame everything on America the rich” show.
Today I cried. For the first time ever about a TV show. Tonight was the season conclusion of The Philanthropist. NBC, you MUST resurrect this show! A few years ago at Thanksgiving I was alone. My children were with their father, I was in a city that I had only lived in a few years, I had no invitation to dinner from anyone, and I was miserable. I thought to myself: “OK Debbie, make lemonade out of this lemon.” So I went to the store and bought a ton of groceries. I made lunches for all the homeless people in… Read more »