Written by Nicole Pedersen

 

"The Philanthropist" stars James Purefoy (the man who turned in a pretty good nude scene of his own on HBO's "Rome" a few years back) as "renegade billionaire" Teddy Rist.  Instead of setting land speed records and launching passenger planes into space like a normal renegade billionaire however, Rist uses his money and connections to help people in need around the world.  Plus he also circumnavigates the globe in hot air balloons from time to time… otherwise he'd just be your garden variety billionaire, wouldn't he?

Neve Campbell, returning to regular television series work for the first time since "Party of Five" will play the wife of Teddy's best friend and business partner who runs the men's charitable foundation by day and thinks up ways to flirt with Teddy by night… apparently they've got some sort of "chemistry" thing going on which is a real shocker for scripted network television.  Campbell is expected to join the series' shoot in South Africa shortly.