June 24, 2009
Early Reviews of 'The Philanthropist'
Is the popcorn ready? Beer and soda chilling? And may be a few rotten tomatoes on hand to throw at the television screen? Then you’re ready for tonight’s debut of “The Philanthropist.”
The new drama about an erstwhile do-gooder definitely has the nonprofit world talking; Hispanics in Philanthropy, for instance, is organizing viewing parties across the country to watch the premiere tonight at 10 pm Eastern time on NBC.
Reviews of the show so far are pretty mixed.
The New York Times said the show is “unusual and exhilarating.” But USA Today called it a “well-acted, well-intentioned, incredibly preposterous show that would struggle even if it were in step with the times, rather than marching to its own prosperous drummer.”
Even Bobby Sager, a philanthropist whose stories provided the genesis of the show, called the show’s main character a “jerk.” (Read The Chronicle’s profile of Mr. Sager.)
What do you think? Viewers are invited to join an interactive live blog here on Give and Take during the show’s debut to give a thumb’s up or down.
Of course, some nonprofit officials wonder what all the fuss is about. To paraphrase one grant maker: Did doctors get this excited about the debut of “Scrubs?”
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and on a rival channel . . .the President talking about health care reform. Maybe more riveting fare for grantmakers??
— another county Jun 24, 03:34 PM #