Profit (TV series)
| Profit | |
|---|---|
Profit Promotional Poster
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| Genre |
Drama Thriller Satire |
| Created by |
David Greenwalt John McNamara |
| Starring |
Adrian Pasdar Lisa Zane Keith Szarabajka Jack Gwaltney Allison Hossack Lisa Darr Lisa Blount Sherman Augustus Scott Paulin Jennifer Hetrick |
| Composer(s) |
Walter Murphy Mike Post |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jo Swerling, Jr David Greenwalt John McNamara Stephen J. Cannell |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Greenwalt/McNamara Productions Stephen J. Cannell Productions |
| Distributor |
New World Television (former) 20th Television (current) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
Fox (1996; eps. 1-4) Trio (2002-2003; eps. 5-8) |
| Original release | April 8 – April 29, 1996 |
Profit is a U.S. television drama series that originally aired in 1996 on the Fox Broadcasting Company (Mondays at 9:00 p.m. EST). The series was created (and occasionally directed) by David Greenwalt and John McNamara, and starred Adrian Pasdar as the eponymous lead character Jim Profit. In February 2008 repeat episodes began airing on Chiller (in the USA), and in October 2010 on CBS Action (in Europe).
Considered by many to have been well ahead of its time, the series was a precursor to the early-21st-century trend of “edgy” TV melodramas (featuring dark themes and multidimensional characters) such as: The Sopranos; Mad Men; Nip/Tuck; Dexter; Breaking Bad and The Shield. Controversial themes (largely stemming from the lead character’s amoral, Richard III-style ways) made the show uncomfortable and unfamiliar viewing for mainstream U.S. audiences and Fox network affiliates at the time, leading to its cancellation after just three episodes (not including the pilot) aired. In 2013 TV Guide ranked the series #4 on its list of 60 shows that were "Canceled Too Soon", calling the series "shockingly memorable".
Jim Profit is a newly promoted junior-executive at Gracen & Gracen (G&G), a multinational conglomerate that often engages in unethical business practices while actively cultivating a positive public image. G&G’s dark side does not bother Profit, who is not above using blackmail, bribery, extortion, or worse to get ahead himself. Jim Profit addresses the audience via voiceover narration, and occasionally even “breaks the fourth wall” by speaking directly to the camera/audience with such quotes as: "The line most people say they won't cross... it's usually something they've already done when they thought no one was watching." Through frequent inner monologues, Profit shares his motives, plans, and situational observations with the audience. When home alone at night, Profit continues his ‘work’ in his office (hidden behind a false wall of his living room), searching the Internet and hacking G&G’s servers for information to be used as research and ammunition for his various schemes. Whenever he eliminates or outmaneuvers a G&G target, that person's avatar is exploded and erased from his computer’s virtual-G&G-offices environment. While obviously affluent and living in a well-furnished luxury penthouse, Profit still goes to bed the same way he did as a child: curled up, naked in the corner of the large G&G shipping box he was raised in.
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