Pondering "The Philanthropist"

NBC will be debuting a new on June 24th, 2009, "The Philanthropist".

I must admit that as an overall fan of NBC programming and someone who has worked, in some capacity, within the nonprofit sector, for several years, I am quite curious and definately like the title, and what it stands for. The ad's that I have seen on television, thus far, along with the few bits and pieces of information which I have read, do cause me to raise my eyebrows, though, at the premise. A young billionaire, while on vacation, loses his son, the result of which is that he has a newfound respect and appreciation for someone in his position of wealth, being charitable and philanthropic. Ahhh....but, of course that's not enough of a pitch to sell the Armani-wearing big wigs in Hollywood, is it? Of course not...the twist being that instead of building hospital wings, or funding new programs at local nonprofits, instead of attending $2,000.00 a plate fundraising dinners to raise money to send medical supplies to third world countries, he is doing the travelling, himself to the third world country, to deliver the supplies. Okaaaaaaayyyyyyy....So, I'm guessing that he finds himself in some rather dangerous (read: exciting for the viewer) situations, all in the name of charitable giving.

While I do applaud NBC for examing the need for philanthropy and think it's an interesting premise, what is wrong with a slightly more realistic approach to a television show that revolves around a wealthy giver? Based on the ad's that I have seen, and the few things that I have read, it seems that the show will put our young, wealthy, philanthropist in a lot of third world countries. Now, that is all well and good, and certainly there are many countries all over the world who desperately need the services provided by American npo's and ngo's. But, I'm curious if there will ever be any episodes revolving around the local domestic violence shelter or Humane Society? I have worked for small, locally-based nonprofits, and those are people who are giving their all, every day, in the trenches, working for the greater good, to improve their communities. Those types of episodes may not make for exciting television, the way being stranded in Korean refuge camp would, but they're every bit as socially concious. And, would hopefully demonstrate the importance of giving back to your local community, while also giving back to your global community.