Profit (TV series)
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| Profit | |
|---|---|
 The front cover of Profit DVD. |
|
| Format | Drama |
| Starring | Adrian Pasdar Lisa Zane Keith Szarabajka Jack Gwaltney Allison Hossack Lisa Darr Lisa Blount Sherman Augustus Scott Paulin Jennifer Hetrick |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jo Swerling, Jr David Greenwalt John McNamara Stephen J. Cannell |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | April 8 – April 29, 1996 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Profit is a short-lived American television series that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company and grew to have a large cult following. The series was created by David Greenwalt and John McNamara, and starred Adrian Pasdar as the titular character, Jim Profit. A DVD compilation of aired and unaired Fox episodes was released on August 9, 2005. The unaired episodes were shown publicly for the first time on the Trio cable network in 2002. In February 2008, episodes will air on Chiller.
Considered by many to be ahead of its time, the show was a precursor to a cutting edge television genre that includes Nip/Tuck and Mad Men. Dark themes stemming from the villainy of the central character made the show uncomfortable and unfamiliar viewing for mainstream audiences and Fox station affiliates, which ultimately led to the demise of the series.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
Jim Profit is a newly promoted employee (He formerly worked in auditing, before getting his promotion to Jr. VP of acquisitions after the heart attack death of the former VP) at Gracen & Gracen (G&G), a multinational corporation that is less than ethical with some of its business practices. That doesn't worry Profit, who has even fewer ethics and isn't above blackmail, bribery, extortion, or even murder to get ahead in the company. Joanne Meltzer, the security chief, Charles "Chaz" Gracen, the president of G&G, his brother Pete, Profit's secretary Gail, and Profit's stepmother (and former lover) Bobbi Stakowski, among others round out the cast of characters. At the end of each episode, Profit would directly address the audience, speaking to camera.
[edit] Characters and actors
[edit] Main characters
- Jim Profit (Adrian Pasdar) - born James Stakowski, he was raised in a cardboard G&G shipping box with the television on at all hours by an abusive father in Tulsa, Oklahoma, until he set his father on fire and ran away. The experience left him with a complete hatred of TV and a desire to insinuate himself into the G&G family by any means necessary...but he still sleeps in a G&G shipping box in a secret room of his apartment. Worked in Auditing before ascending to junior-vice president of Acquisitions. He intends to climb the corporate ladder at G&G by secretly engineering the ruin of those who stand in his way and/or refuse to assist him.
- Joanne Meltzer (Lisa Zane) - the obsessive chief of security for G&G. Had an affair with Jack Walters after his wife had (temporarily) run-off with a lover. Remains loyal to Jack Walters, and admires him as a person. His false imprisonment (engineered by Profit) is the main thing driving her quest to bring down Profit. She is constantly trying to figure out Profit's motives and master plan, but has her own psychological issues...
- Charles Henry "Chaz" Gracen (Keith Szarabajka) - the no-nonsense, paranoid, short-tempered chief executive of G&G. Is known to take a different mistress each year. Loves money above all else. Occasionally displays a dark sense of humor.
- Pete Gracen (Jack Gwaltney) - Chaz's younger brother, and the vice president of Acquisitions. Long-standing alcoholic. He's also impotent, and seemingly incompetent.
- Nora Gracen (Allison Hossack) - Pete's insecure, lonely, yet trusting wife. She initially was seduced by Profit, then obsessed over him when he insisted on 'being just friends'. Regards Profit as a close friend and kindred spirit.
- Gail Koner (Lisa Darr) - Profit's resourceful secretary (was originally Jack Walter's secretary), and primary henchperson. Initially, Profit repeatedly blackmailed her into assisting him in his schemes. However, she feels increasingly loyal (or, obligated) to Profit, since he saved her job, covered-up her petty embezzlement, and pays 100% of her sick mother's nursing home bills.
- Bobbi Stakowski (Lisa Blount) - Profit's stepmother, and former lover. Heroin addict, alcoholic, and former prostitute. She repeatedly tries to blackmail Profit (with evidence of his patricide, and, other crimes) into financing a luxurious lifestyle for her.
- Jeffrey Sykes (Sherman Augustus) - a corporate lawyer and the newest member of the G&G team. Sykes takes a more antagonistic approach to Profit.
[edit] Recurring characters
- Jack Walters (Scott Paulin) - the former President of Acquisitions at G&G.
- Elizabeth Gracen Walters (Jennifer Hetrick) - Jack's wife.
- Constance Gracen (Teryl Rothery) - Chaz's wife, though she's separated from him.
[edit] Guest characters
- Dr. Jeremy Batewell (John Hawkes)
- Kelly Hunt/Carol McKenna (Jessica Tuck)
[edit] Episodes
| Episode | First airdate | Writer(s) | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Pilot" (parts 1 and 2) | April 8, 1996 | John McNamara & David Greenwalt | Jim Profit joins the Gracen and Gracen executive team just as a public scandal erupts from an unethical baby food decision - sparked by a press leak that Profit orchestrated. |
| "Hero" | April 15, 1996 | David Greenwalt | Joanne Meltzer and Jack Walters search into Profit's past, while Profit sets up a key plan that eventually sends Jack to jail. |
| "Sykes" | April 22, 1996 | David Greenwalt | Jeffrey Sykes is hired by G&G, but his agenda has more to do with G&G and Profit's deal with a local mobster than actually helping the company. |
| "Healing" | April 29, 1996 | John McNamara | Joanne and Profit's rivalry comes to a head when Chaz announces that they will both take a lie detector test. Profit tries to mess with Joanne's mind by blackmailing her psychiatrist. |
| "Cupid" | Never Aired in the US | John Shirley | G&G wants to acquire a company owned by a split couple, so Profit is charged with getting them back together - even though it appears the husband is a murderer. Bobbi sets her sights on Chaz. |
| "Chinese Box" | Never Aired in the US | W. K. Scott Meyer | In order to avoid an imminent FBI investigation, Profit must sever G&G's relationship with a recently-acquired Chinese company by acquiring a codebreaker chip from Dr. Jeremy Batewell. This proves harder than it seems since Gail got him fired from G&G for sexual harassment some time ago. |
| "Security" | Never Aired in the US | John McNamara | Profit is having an affair with the newest G&G security team addition - Kelly Hunt. However Ms. Hunt isn't who she appears to be and is a muckraking reporter looking for dirt on G&G. |
| "Forgiveness" | Never Aired in the US | David Greenwalt | Profit's manipulations come to a head: Pete and Nora's uncle are coordinating a hostile takeover of G&G when Nora tells him that her uncle molested her. Joanne and Sykes come close to finding who the real Jim Profit was and Bobbi faces a near-death experience that makes her realize what she really wants. |
[edit] DVD Release
Anchor Bay Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time on August 9, 2005.
[edit] What would have happened
David Greenwalt gave details of plotlines from the second season in the commentaries on the DVD.
- Joanne would've died early in the first episode of the never-produced second season. The phone booth she was calling Sykes from explodes; a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army. It is later revealed that this was done at the behest of Profit.
- Jim has stolen the identity of a "real" Jim Profit. The "real" Jim Profit is in a coma after he has been drowned by "our Jim Profit". Later "our Jim" will come back to finish killing his alias.
- Charles "Chaz" Gracen would've had a heart attack while running on his treadmill. Profit eventually convinces him that his father was trying to kill him.
- Pete Gracen could have been involved in politics as a senator thanks to Jim.
[edit] Notes
- According to a documentary on the 2005 DVD, McNamara and Greenwalt came up with the concept for Profit while watching Sir Ian McKellen's modern-dress production of Richard III.
- In the commentary of the 2005 DVD, McNamara and Greenwalt indicated that Fox executives requested that the character of Bobbi Stakowski be revised from Profit's mother to the slightly less provocative role as Profit's stepmother.
- Jim's father idolized the Gracen family as "royalty" and the box that Jim sleeps in bears the name "Gracen & Gracen: The Family Company". This may also explain Jim's motivation to become President of Acquisitions; he wants to grow and nurture the G&G family he is a part of while protecting it from potentially disruptive additions (acquisitions).
