What can I say about _Profit_ that hasn't been said before? "Brilliant", "Ahead of it's time", "Unforgettable", "Perhaps one of the best television shows of all time". How about maybe "Dayyum, Adrian Pasdar looks great in a suit!"? It's all true. I'm sure Pasdar has a long career still ahead of him, but when all is said and done, Jim Profit may be the defining role of his life. Which is not a bad thing.
It was pure random dumb luck that I encountered _Profit_'s premiere on FOX, and I was instantly riveted -- and subsequently stunned by the series cancellation. It's easy to see I'm not alone, however, and the image of Jim Profit -- dark, manipulative, and not amoral but obviously running on a moral code all his own -- has been burned into the brains of everyone who saw this show: I'll bet even the people who supposedly called FOX to complain about _Profit_ still remember his devilishly seductive charm. It probably scares the hell out of them.
It's March, 2011, and I've just watched all 9 hours of _Profit_ on DVD, and I'm happy to report that time has been good to _Profit_: 15 years later, the dark wit and intrigue still ring true -- even more-so given recent events in US corporate culture. It's a (darkly) magical thing to watch Jim Profit work his influence upon others. Not just to make them do the things he wants them to do, but to _change_ them into different people. For instance, at the end of the episode titled _Chinese Box_, he tells his loyal but conflicted secretary Gail: "Revenge is pointless. It's a tool for the weak. And you're not weak ... not anymore."
I hate it when brilliant shows are canceled: for a brief moment in time, all of the right writers, actors, directors, and producers are working together to make something wonderful -- and then it's all smashed asunder like HumptyDumpty -- the group, the synergy, are gone forever. The only positive thing I can say is that, whether by luck or by planning, the show ends well. You definitely want _more_ -- but in their own odd way, those 8 episodes are remarkably self-contained and satisfying.
Dumb, but I can't give up hope ... someone else commented about how _Profit_ would be killer on HBO, and while I cannot think of anyone would could replace young Adrian Pasdar, still ... the thought of a new generation of _Profit_, without the restrictions of network television ... well, I can dream.
In the words of Jim Profit: "Goodnight".
It was pure random dumb luck that I encountered _Profit_'s premiere on FOX, and I was instantly riveted -- and subsequently stunned by the series cancellation. It's easy to see I'm not alone, however, and the image of Jim Profit -- dark, manipulative, and not amoral but obviously running on a moral code all his own -- has been burned into the brains of everyone who saw this show: I'll bet even the people who supposedly called FOX to complain about _Profit_ still remember his devilishly seductive charm. It probably scares the hell out of them.
It's March, 2011, and I've just watched all 9 hours of _Profit_ on DVD, and I'm happy to report that time has been good to _Profit_: 15 years later, the dark wit and intrigue still ring true -- even more-so given recent events in US corporate culture. It's a (darkly) magical thing to watch Jim Profit work his influence upon others. Not just to make them do the things he wants them to do, but to _change_ them into different people. For instance, at the end of the episode titled _Chinese Box_, he tells his loyal but conflicted secretary Gail: "Revenge is pointless. It's a tool for the weak. And you're not weak ... not anymore."
I hate it when brilliant shows are canceled: for a brief moment in time, all of the right writers, actors, directors, and producers are working together to make something wonderful -- and then it's all smashed asunder like HumptyDumpty -- the group, the synergy, are gone forever. The only positive thing I can say is that, whether by luck or by planning, the show ends well. You definitely want _more_ -- but in their own odd way, those 8 episodes are remarkably self-contained and satisfying.
Dumb, but I can't give up hope ... someone else commented about how _Profit_ would be killer on HBO, and while I cannot think of anyone would could replace young Adrian Pasdar, still ... the thought of a new generation of _Profit_, without the restrictions of network television ... well, I can dream.
In the words of Jim Profit: "Goodnight".