[Televisionary]

Hurricanes, snake bites, barefoot motorcycle treks through the jungle. Just another week for Teddy Rist. You had a chance to read my advance review of NBC's The Philanthropist , but now that the pilot episode has aired, I'm curious to hear what you thought of the James Purefoy-led drama. Were you charmed by Purefoy's billionaire playboy Teddy Rist? Or did you think his conversion from tycoon to altruistic philanthropist was far too easy and convenient? Were you captivated by the combination of action-adventure and inspirational drama? Or was it too earnest and trite for your liking? Did you cringe at the fact that the talented Michael Kenneth Williams (Omar himself!) was given precious little to do? And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week? Talk back here. Next week on The Philanthropist ("Myanmar"), Teddy visits Myanmar after the Maidstone-Rist Company is outed by a human rights organization as having ties to businesses there; Teddy gets advice fr...

"Happiness is the art of living well." We're told this in the opening minutes of NBC's new drama The Philanthropist by the series' main character, billionaire playboy Teddy Rist ( Rome 's James Purefoy). He's the sort of tycoon who is just as at home in the bedroom as he is in the boardroom, bedding young, lithe things and selling the planet's natural resources with equal relish. But for Teddy, there's a false air to his statement, as if he's trying way too hard to believe in the triteness of that aphorism. What follows then is part adventure story, part spiritual awakening saga as Teddy must come to grips with his own humanity as he discovers that happiness isn't material possessions (especially for a man with a Gulfstream as a toy) but rather philanthropy. He comes to this conclusion during the hurricane-induced flooding of a Nigerian resort, where he saves the life of a young African boy who would have been left to drown had it not been...