NBC's 'Philanthropist' Finds Overseas Home

Zap2It.com | September 29, 2008

James Purefoy

Midseason show will be based in London, shoot in Europe

"The Philanthropist" is taking his fortune to London, as well as points in Europe and South Africa, as NBC looks to save some money on production of the midseason series.

NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker told other media bigwigs at a Royal Television Society conference in London that the show, about a billionaire who uses his wealth and connections to do good, will be based in the U.K. Carnival, a British production company NBCU recently bought, will supervise filming overseas, though the show's writers, led by executive producer David Eick (" Battlestar Galactica"), will remain in Los Angeles.

The move will allow NBC to save about a million dollars per episode on production. It also helped secure "Rome" star James Purefoy for the title role, the showbiz trade papers report. Purefoy has been in talks to star in the show for some time but was reportedly reluctant to relocate to Los Angeles.

Production on "The Philanthropist" is scheduled to begin soon, with locations in the Czech Republic and South Africa also in the mix. Peter Horton (" Grey's Anatomy") will direct the first episode and executive produce with Eick and Charlie Corwin.

The series is currently slotted on Monday nights in NBC's midseason schedule.