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.
A great show that needs to stay!
i love the show , yet i watch it on hulu , not on tv , which lets me skip the commercials and watch it on my time therefore i dont show up on the statistics
This is currently the best show on Television, and the only one I watch. I might not tune into the TV every single week, but I make sure that I watch each weeks episode by way of hulu.com. My only other favorite TV shows in the past 4 years, My Name is Earl and Chuck. Both have been cancelled, so leave me with a reason to turn on the TV. Keep The Philanthropist and I can promise my undying devotion to it because all the other TV shows are crap.
Keep it! It’s not often that a show has a character who is wealthy, a scoundrel, and a generous humanitarian all rolled into one. Not to mention, he’s absolutely adorable. If they want to cancel something, make it SouthLAnd. That show is super violent. This one shows violence, but it wakes you up to what is happening in the world. It’s a fantastic show!
Keep It……………..Enough siad, so it droped in viewrs soo wat, i bet if u made it show at 7:00pm or at 8:00 it would be much better in viewers, but if you are thinking of getting rid of this show then you sure as hell didnt watch all the eps yourself
KEEP IT !!….I LOVE this show…one of the best on tv right now or for a long time it seems…..to many good shows are canceled before they have a chance to soar…I love the characters, the story lines etc and all the places I get to travel with Teddy and crew…:)…and most of all the REASON for his travels…Its wonderful….It is right up there with 24 as far as I am concerned…KEEP IT ALIVE PLEASE…..Thanks !!
Please keep The Philanthropist!!! I’ve recommended it to a friend who doesn’t watch tv and couldn’t at that hour anyway, so thanks for the web. This is so worth ones time and thought…who realized that the standard daily diet in Haiti is 4 ounces of rice? Sure, The Philanthropist is a drama, but it’s more than just a drama. Most of us in the U.S., no matter how poor we think we are, are rich compared to many in the Third World. I’m out of work, counting pennies, but I know of Nigerians without clean drinking water! If The Philanthropist… Read more »
I love this show. It is intelligent, compassionate, and deals with world issues. I have been watching it primarily on Hulu. I am wondering whether they are tracking this type of viewer when they say ratings are down???
Keep it!!!! This is a great show. Great acting. Edgy. Quirky and different enough to stand out amidst the formulaic crap that is most of prime time TV. It’s one of the few shows I never miss.
It’s a keeper!
There are no other TV shows like it. Original, it makes you think about the world at large. TV needs shows this to keep us up to date in world issues.
I truly hope that NBC keeps it going. It would be a sad loss.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeassse keep this show I’m having withdrawal already!! What brand new show already has a facebook group following already! NBC don’t let it go!!
I think most people don’t know it’s about a true person, and of the good he’s doing. I love the show. It’s so great seeing this and not the stuff that makes me wonder is there’s any good people left in the world. Thumbs Up!! And think hard about not taking into all of us who love seeing this program. More should be done to promot this show to get a true idea of it’s staying power. To many good shows are left in the dust, and this is special. It’s true. Keep the good work going!
I am a viewer from Malaysia who likes the show a lot, please keep it going!
I enjoy the show, but most of programs I like on network television always end up being cancelled. It’s a fun fantasy… I’ve often thought/hoped that if I ever made it big, I’d share my wealth. I probably wouldn’t have the guts to do it in such a flashy manner as Teddy and company, but who knows. So, NBC, please let the escapism continue and give the show an honest run at success.
put a counter on the webisodes see the numbers if you have not already PLEASE KEEP this show on tv. I have read all of these comments maybe you should too.