Profit

Profit is an American drama television series that originally aired in 1996 on the Fox Broadcasting Company (Mondays at 9:00 p.m. EST). The series was created (and occasionally directed) by David Greenwalt and John McNamara, and starred Adrian Pasdar as the eponymous lead character Jim Profit. In February 2008 repeat episodes began airing on Chiller (in the USA), and in October 2010 on CBS Action (in Europe). Considered by many to have been well ahead of its time, the series was a precursor to the early-21st-century trend of "edgy" TV melodramas (featuring dark themes and multidimensional characters) such as The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. Controversial themes largely stemming from the lead character's amoral, Richard III-style ways, along with low ratings, made the show uncomfortable and unfamiliar viewing for mainstream U.S. audiences and Fox network affiliates at the time, leading to its cancellation after just four episodes (including the pilot) aired. In 2013 TV Guide ranked the series #4 on its list of 60 shows that were "Canceled Too Soon", calling the series "shockingly memorable". Summary Jim Profit is a newly promoted junior-executive at Gracen & Gracen (G&G), a multinational conglomerate that often engages in unethical business practices while actively cultivating a positive public image. G&G's dark side does not bother Profit, who is not above using blackmail, bribery, extortion, or worse to get ahead himself. Jim Profit addresses the audience via voiceover narration, and occasionally even "breaks the fourth wall" by speaking directly to the camera/audience with such quotes as: "The line most people say they won't cross ... it's usually something they've already done when they thought no one was watching." Through frequent inner monologues, Profit shares his motives, plans, and situational observations with the audience. When home alone at night, Profit continues his ‘work’ in his office (hidden behind a false wall of his living room), searching the Internet and hacking G&G's servers for information to be used as research and ammunition for his various schemes. Whenever he eliminates or outmaneuvers a G&G target, that person's avatar is exploded and erased from his computer's virtual-G&G-offices environment.