"Profit" (1996) TV series

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

8 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Jim Profit works for a multinational company, and isn't above using any means necessary to get ahead...

Plot Keywords:

Computer Cracker | Revenge | Black Comedy | Child Abuse | Falsely Convicted

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adrian Pasdar	...	Jim Profit (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Lisa Darr	...	Gail Koner (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Lisa Blount	...	Bobbi Stakowski (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Jack Gwaltney	...	Pete Gracen (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Allison Hossack	...	Nora Gracen (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Keith Szarabajka	...	Charles Henry "Chaz" Gracen (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Lisa Zane	...	Joanne Meltzer (8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Sherman Augustus	...	Jeffrey Sykes (7 episodes, 1996-1997)

Runtime:

45 min (7 episodes) | 90 min (pilot)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

New World Television

Trivia:

Was inspired by the touring stage version of "Richard III".

Quotes:

Charles Henry "Chaz" Gracen: The day he gets hit by a bus, I believe in God again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cement (1999)

The Very Best, Ever

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.