PHILANTHROPIST PREVIEW

A billionaire has an awakening of sorts, deciding to get ‘hands on’ when it comes to helping people in need.

That’s the idea for “The Philanthropist”, a new drama series debuting tonight on NBC.

Billionaire playboy Teddy Rist takes the plunge, literally…and figuratively.

The opening moments of the series show Rist, played by James Purefoy, having to decide whether to help a young boy who’s been accidentally knocked into the sea during a raging storm.

“He has a moment to decide whether to help him and he does,“ said Purefoy, “And it makes him feel better.“

That moment also fills a void left personal tragedy….and spurs the tycoon to do more.

The problem is convincing some to receive his help.

“He does have convincing to do that he’s doing it out of the goodness of his heart,“ Purefoy said.

There are other stark realities that money can’t always solve.

“Stock holders and board members are regularly meeting to damn Teddy Rist and ask him things like, ‘why are you using the corporate jet?‘ ‘what’s in it for us?‘“

It’s the same question faced by real life billionaire, Bobby Sager, whose globetrotting exploits inspired the series.

“He’s thinking about making profit, but also making real difference in people’s lives,“ Purefoy said.

In the series, those lives are in locales as diverse as South Africa and the Czech Republic, two locations where the series shot this past fall.

“It would have been deeply patronizing to try to portray these locations on a backlot in Burbank,“ said Purefoy.

Purefoy hopes that authenticity in setting and story can in some small way kick start a trend.

“As Bobby Sager says, be selfish, go help someone.“

“The Philanthropist” also stars Jesse L. M Martin and Neve Campbell.

It airs tonight at 10pm eastern, right after “America’s Got Talent”.