'The Philanthropist' appears preposterous

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2009 | by TV preview By Robert Bianco

If only we had more billionaires to solve our problems, how happy we all would be.

If you're buying that, has NBC got a show for you: The Philanthropist, an odd action/adventure about a super-rich, globe-trotting philanthropy vigilante. If not, then what you have is a well-acted, well-intentioned, incredibly preposterous show that would struggle even if it were in step with the times, rather than marching to its own prosperous drummer. But that's NBC: If it didn't have a tin ear, it would have no ear at all.

Still, give the network credit for eventually catching the nation's mood and downgrading this once high-profile project to a summer run, because summer is its greatest asset. For a few weeks, The Philanthropist will let a fine if ill-used cast take us on a...