Profit

People often go on about the death of network television and wonder why networks like HBO are simply crushing network TV, and I can point to Profit and say here is a primary example of why Networks can't compete.

This show is simply shocking, revolving around perhaps one of the most evil main characters to grace network TV, with a very dark past, and an even darker present. Fox simply got cold feet because it was just too much for 1996 and the majority of the Bible Belt went nuts over the concepts in this show and just crushed it. It was too smart for Fox which is really unfortunate, but if it had been on HBO two or three years later and they would have been allowed to truly get into the dark angle of this show that only cable networks seem to be able to do, we would be discussing how many Emmy's Adrian Pasdar had won.

I never watched it on TV, and the DVD was my first chance to really get a look at it, and it was simply light years ahead of its time.

-Z

Could PROFIT be the greatest TV series ever made? I think it comes close. This series is Machiavelli brought to life in the corporate world of today. Great acting, great story lines, great production values made this a TV series that is unparalleled. Made in 1996, before the rise of internet entrepreneurs, before the last leg of the bull market, before the BBC caught on that there was something brewing in Silicon Valley, this series was years ahead of it's time.

There are detective series with less complex story lines than any of the six episodes that were made for this gem. This series stood out because of the total lack of remorse from the lead character, his cunning and intelligence and his single minded ambition. At the heart of it, there is the fantastic looking Adrian Pasdar (Near Dark) as Jim Profit, the ultimate psychopath/sociopath and extremely ambitious yuppie, but Lisa Zane, Sherman Augustus, Allison Hossack, Lisa Blount as Profit's breathless secretary and Keith Szarabajka (Mickey from The Equalizer) all more than hold up their ends. I wish they would pick up this series again, especially after the late nineties era with Enron, Worldcom, etc. As it was only made 7 years ago, the cast couldn't have aged that much.

I remember saying, way back in 1996, that "Profit" is the best television show I've ever seen. And I have been watching television for years...decades. When they decided to run "Profit" on TRIO as part of its "brilliant..but overlooked" collection of canceled television series, I thanked God that after all of these years, I was going to get to see the remaining 4 episodes that never aired back then. Also, I was curious to see if I would find the show to be as brilliant as I did at the time. Six years had passed. But after only five minutes of listening to Pasdar's velvety, whisper-like voice, and seeing him curled up in that box, I was back under the shows irresistible spell. I felt like I was watching the show for the first time. Completely spellbound, captivated, riveted, etc. The casting, writing, and direction of this series is pure perfection. We'll never see anything this great again (from network television).

I'm right in the middle of downloading all of the "Profit" episodes from the net and nostalgia just came pouring back into my mind. I was a kid then, but that first episode I saw really changed my life. I remember hearing the coolest theme I have ever heard, and a slick, cool and rich businessman that was kind of taking everyone else for a ride while at the same time having fun and "entertainment" with each of them. An above our world kind of guy, Jim Profit instantly became my role model. No wonder I now love morbid stuff as much as I do, "Profit" was dark and definitely for acquired tastes only, but hey, all of you "Profit"'s out there have more of it than the rest of the world:) I have to admit I don't remember much from the shows, but I was in fact one of the lucky ones who got to see all of the episodes, so I'm looking forward to each and every one of them.

Still: DVD's, DVD's, DVD's, DVD's, DVD's, DVD's, DVD's. DVD's, DVD's, DVD's...

Back in 1996 when Fox was not picking up further episodes, I called programming and pleaded with them to reconsider. I have never done that with any show before or since. Profit was by far the most entertaining and compelling drama, ever. Homicide Life on the Street was a close second but lacked the dark intrigue of Profit. The end of each episode always left one awe struck and wanting more. In an era of mind-numbing reality shows who's only virtue is that it's cheap to produce, network prime time is becoming a complete wasteland; pushing even more viewers to cable. Any network picking up the rights and reintroducing this show will have a major hit on their hands.