TV Series
★7.1(9 votes)
20091 Season8 EpisodesCanceledThe Philanthropist
Action & AdventureDrama
The title character, Teddy Rist (portrayed by James Purefoy), is a billionaire playboy haunted by the death of his only child. His life changes when he rescues a young boy during a hurricane in Nigeria. As a result, Rist begins using his fortune to personally change the lives of others.[4] The Philanthropist is based loosely on the life of Bobby Sager.[5] The Philanthropist is an American action drama series that premiered on NBC on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The program was a limited summer series, principally filmed in South Africa. It opened to strong ratings, but saw a drop in viewers in subsequent weeks. The Philanthropist is a Carnival Films production in association with The Levinson/Fontana Company and Original Media. Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, Peter Horton, Charlie Corwin, Gareth Neame, and Teri Weinberg served as executive producers.
Episodes & Seasons
Browse episodes by season for this series.
Season 1
8 EpisodesEP 01
EP 1
01.Nigeria Part I
1h
2009-06-24
01.Nigeria Part I
1h
Aired 2009-06-24
A wealthy philanthropist's life is changed when a hurricane hits the Nigerian town he was visiting. During the storm the billionaire rescues a young boy. These events lead him to pursue his new found passion for helping those in need.
Watch Episode
EP 02
EP 2
02.Myanmar
1h
2009-07-01
02.Myanmar
1h
Aired 2009-07-01
Teddy visits Myanmar to ask for guidance from a local leader after his company is accused of forced labor.
Watch Episode
EP 03
EP 3
03.Paris
1h
2009-07-08
03.Paris
1h
Aired 2009-07-08
Olivia is reunited with an old friend who is caught in a sex-trafficking ring on a visit to Paris. Teddy does everything in his power to save the helpless young women.
Watch Episode
EP 04
EP 4
04.Nigeria Part II
1h
2009-07-15
04.Nigeria Part II
1h
Aired 2009-07-15
Teddy heads to Kujama, Nigeria, to help rescue his old friend, Doctor Chima Balo. Balo was kidnapped because the local rebels didn't like Teddy and his oil refinery doing good for their town. Back at home, Philip helps an old acquaintance keep his head above water after being laid off from work.
Watch Episode
EP 05
EP 5
05.Kosovo
1h
2009-07-22
05.Kosovo
1h
Aired 2009-07-22
Teddy meets his ex-wife Julia and tells her about his journey to Kosovo where he tried to get Serbians and Albanians to work together, but learned that the hatred runs deep.
Watch Episode
EP 06
EP 6
06.San Diego
1h
2009-07-29
06.San Diego
1h
Aired 2009-07-29
Teddy and Dax travel to San Diego and try to find the thief who stole Teddy's identity. In the meantime, Olivia and Philip find out that Maidstone Rist is in trouble.
Watch Episode
EP 07
EP 7
07.Kashmir
1h★ 6
2009-08-05
07.Kashmir
1h★ 6
Aired 2009-08-05
When Teddy tries to close a deal with the Indian and Pakistani governments to rebuild a water system in Kashmir, he disappears on his mission.
Watch Episode
EP 08
EP 8
08.Haiti
1h
2009-08-12
08.Haiti
1h
Aired 2009-08-12
Food shortage leads Teddy and Philip to Haiti where they try to help, but Philip's estranged brother, a powerful island senator named Jean Beauvais, interferes.
Watch Episode
