First Look: The Philanthropist

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:30:40 -0700

When NBC first announced The Philanthropist more than a year ago, I was intrigued from the start. Created by Tom Fontana (Homicide, Oz), the drama focuses on a renegade billionaire with cash to burn who will stop at nothing to get his money to the people he feels need it most. The concept sounded promising, and I've liked Fontana's work before.

But then the show - which was originally supposed to air Mondays at 10 p.m. this Spring - never materialized. Fontana left the show over the ol' "creative differences" - and had time to return to it before an episode had aired. And NBC gave Jay Leno a show at 10 p.m. five nights a week - and announced a new schedule - that left little room for new dramas on the network.

All of this to say: My hopes for The Philanthropist becoming a seasons-long hit are pretty much nil at this point. But I'm still curious to see the show, which finally premieres June 24. British actor James Purefoy stars as the billionaire, Teddy Rist, but I'm mostly drawn in by the supporting cast, which includes Michael K. Williams (The Wire's Omar) and Neve Campbell as the wife of Teddy's partner.

Are you interested in checking out The Philanthropist, even if it turns out to be more miniseries than series? To see the first promo, just read more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

HBO Developing Miniseries About Lincoln's Killing

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:32:20 -0700

From the network that brought you John Adams - and the writers who brought you urban strife - comes this: HBO is developing a miniseries about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt for his killer, to be written by David Simon of The Wire and Tom Fontana of Oz.

The miniseries is based on the best-selling book Manhunt, about the Lincoln shooting and the 12-day hunt for his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Simon and Fontana are writing the script together.

Fontana is reportedly something of a Lincoln assassination buff, with "hundreds of books" about the shooting. Simon, too, is fascinated with the shooting. According to Broadcasting & Cable, they intend to explore it through the eyes of lesser-known players. The book was originally optioned for an action movie starring Harrison Ford, but the option expired and HBO snapped up the rights. Don't expect this miniseries to have the same tone a big-screen adaptation would have: "I don't do action," Simon told B&C.

Have any of you history/Lincoln buffs read this book? Do you think it's a story made for an HBO miniseries?

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