Profit

Netflix sent this to me recently, mostly because I'd forgotten to update my queue with my preferred choice (which I'm usually pretty good at doing). I'd put this one on there years ago, and it had slowly made its way to the top, but I've been casting it aside for months now with new releases and other things that have caught my eye.

But after all that, there's a happy ending to this story: the show is actually pretty darn good. Like, it's Dexter good. Much like Dexter, the show's lead (Adrian Pasdar, seen most recently flying around like a doofus on one of TV's biggest disappointments of the last five years, Heroes) is an anti-hero; a corporate shark, ready and willing to manipulate any and all who stand in the way of his rise to success. He's unmatched in his abilities to make any negative situation work in his favor. Granted, most of that success is based on all-too-perfect (read: written) circumstances, and a series of fortunate coincidences, but when the main character is so compelling and sooooo bloody disturbing, it's hard to fret over those faults. You just can't help but watch with shock and awe.

But before we get down on Jim Profit, there is a layer of sympathy underneath the mask of deceit. I won't get into details, but let's just say the pilot's final image gave me chills.

The most tragic thing about Profit, however, was the fact that it never connected with audiences. Too dark and too disturbing were the war cries. Because of that, only nine episodes exist.



It's also important to note that this show was unbelievably ahead of its time. Nothing of this nature had ever been on television, let alone network television. It is often cited as the predecessor to shows like The Sopranos, Nip/Tuck, Mad Men, and the aforementioned Dexter. As of late, it's even been mentioned frequently in the same breath as Lone Star, another Fox show that's heading for the chopping block soon (if y'all don't start watching it, Mondays at 9).

It's worth a trip, if you're willing to put up with 1996 again. That's my only gripe. Network TV has come so far since 24, Alias and LOST made production values as breathtaking as the story, so it can be a bit grating to the senses (the music is 100% synth orchestra, and the fact that the show was filmed in Vancouver is all too obvious). But, give it a shot.

Last bit: Buffy and Angel fans should be aware that this was the show that put David Greenwalt on the map.