Whedonesque : Comments on 5674 : David Greenwalt's 'Profit' coming to DVD in 2005.

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December 31 2004

David Greenwalt's 'Profit' coming to DVD in 2005. Before he was the showrunner on Buffy and the co-creator of Angel, David was best known for his critically acclaimed TV show 'Profit' which only ran for four episodes. Salon.com called it "a dark, twisted and pleasurably wicked seriocomic soap" and soon it will be yours to buy on DVD.
(Added) And Joss weighs in on "Profit" too in the comments . . .

Simon | Cast&Crew | 02:58 CET | 42 comments total | tags: joss post

Oddly enough the following quote can be attributated to another show with a Angel connection .... "'Profit,' a critically successful show that ran for only four episodes in 1996" .... just change the show and the year and you would have 'Wonderfalls'.

I loved this series and still remember it started my crush for Adrian Pasdar. I'm glad it's finally making it to DVD.

RavenU | December 31, 04:23 CET

I had no idea there was a 'verse connection to Profit - but now that I think about it, the link to one of the creators of Wolfram & Hart doesn't surprise me at all.

Craig Oxbrow | December 31, 04:30 CET

Ouch my poor wallet, I almost wish I was never introduced to buffy(let me stress ALMOST). Then I never would of told myself "I need to know who writes this show!" Which lead to the purchase of 7 seasons of buffy, soon to be 5 seasons of angel, 1/2 season of firefly(I'm about to recruit a few Browncoats tonight!)3 seasons of Alias, 1 season of wonderfalls and now Profit, he he I kinda sounded like the underpants gnomes there. BUY BOX SETS,....?...., PROFIT!

[ edited by adventures in spelling on 2004-12-31 11:31 ]

adventures in spelling | December 31, 04:37 CET

Did anyone else know that Holtz (Keith Szarabajka) was also on this show? I didn't.

I enjoyed Profit. I don't know if I liked it enough to buy the dvd, though. So far my television dvd purchases that extend beyond the 'verse are...um...Northern Exposure.

I do have to get Deadwood when it comes out in February, though. And I really want Wiseguy and Freaks and Geeks. I think we should have a thread for tv on dvd. I'm going to start one on the flickr. Come one, come all.

Willowy | December 31, 04:48 CET

I really enjoyed "Profit" it was definately way before its time!!!

Simpleba | December 31, 05:47 CET

I remember David Greenwalt wanting to bring over Jim Profit to Angel, but the actor wasn't available, would of been a heck of a idea.

Too bad, only 4 episodes, it was a great show.

SeanValen | December 31, 05:52 CET

I don't think I remember Profit, but I'm with RavenU. Hurray for the Adrian Pasdar love.

lycoming | December 31, 07:11 CET

Oh, I can't let this one pass by. David and I tried (wildly unsuccessfully) to get PROFIT put out on DVD or rebraodcast --or FINALLY broadcast -- for years. And here (on this most infotaining of webbysites) I learn it is to be.

The man sleeps naked in a cardboard box. I'm just sayin'.

Oh, and Adventures, Marti Noxon was OBSESSED with the underpants gnomes, so your post was especially synergynessful. (The English Language is my bitch. Or I don't speak it very well. Whatever.)

Profit floored me when I saw it, and yes, we were definitely talking about having Jim Profit show up as a senior partner.

Okay, that's all. I was gonna do an offical holiday post -- and I just might -- but I had to weigh in on Party In and Amongst my Trou over th' DVD Profitability. Latex, -j.

joss | December 31, 08:11 CET

Joss makes another rare appearance and posts. Hopefully this will become a more common thing :)

Dawar | December 31, 08:14 CET

Well, JW, we just glad we can provide a lil ole service to you. ;) But please go ahead with the offical post, cos that sounds really, um, tasty!

Dawar: thanks for the heads-up on the man's post - but I don't think that's the stuff of front-page linkage just yet. Ta very much all the same :)

SoddingNancyTribe | December 31, 08:16 CET

Buh.

Yay!

Craig Oxbrow | December 31, 08:40 CET

I never saw Profit but, invariably, whenever a first year show undeservedly gets the axe, it is listed as another of the best shows that never got a chance (now, often preceded or followed by Firefly and Wonderfalls). So I've been wanting to check Profit out for a while now, I guess this will finally be my chance. I'm wondering if they'll creatively work the "sleeping in a cardboard box" bit into the DVD packaging (something akin to the box for the original Fight Club DVD).

WindTheFrog | December 31, 08:51 CET

Hey Joss!

Gah, I'm getting slow on the responding, uh, -ness. I used to be first! Nice to see you anyway, and hope you do do (heh) a holiday post for us. Thanks for cruising by. Always glad to see you here!

Willowy | December 31, 08:55 CET

I never heard of this show but with Joss endorsing it, I guess it could be something worth checking out!!

Joss, when are you starting on the second Serenity movie?!?!?! And when will the merchandising start!! I want a t-shirt with that Serenity logo on it!! I'm just a wee bit anxious to see the movie!!

Firefly Flanatic | December 31, 08:55 CET

Joss! I finally see your name in purple, cool. I never saw Profit but if Joss likes it then I gotta check it out when its released.

[ edited by eddy on 2004-12-31 07:01 ]

eddy | December 31, 09:00 CET

Fl, there are tons of t-shirts created by fans on FFF.net in the blue sun room and on Zazzle and Cafe Press. Go do a search and you'll just be amazed. I have two of the shirts already. Some of them are pretty bad but you'll find some really great stuff there too!

Willowy | December 31, 09:00 CET

Thanks Willowy, I'll go and check those out but I can't wait to get an official shirt!

Firefly Flanatic | December 31, 09:02 CET

WindtheFrog, or the Northern Exposure dvd with the little puffy ski-coat and moose zipper pull. Cutest. Packaging. Ever.

Willowy | December 31, 09:03 CET

Oh I remember Profit...another show I fell in love with that was cancelled before it's time. I had no idea about the 'verse connection, but I will be first in line to buy the dvd.

Mal'sGal | December 31, 09:03 CET

I haven't bought the Northern Exposure dvd set but I've seen it and Willowy is right about how cute it is. Maybe someday the Buffy dvds will come in a little coffin or crypt!

Firefly Flanatic | December 31, 09:09 CET

Also, this keeps niggling at the back of my brain...didn't they spell Profit with two ts on the end? Wasn't it Profitt?

Or am I thinking of Mel Profitt from Wiseguy?

* :P *

Willowy | December 31, 09:10 CET

Fl a crypt would be perfect! Heh heh... creaky doors optional. And have a little mini bucket of hot wings in there, and... ok. I'm tired.

Willowy | December 31, 09:13 CET

Mmm, FF, I like the sound of that. How come Star Trek:OS, to take another example, gets the "special" packaging, and not our stuff? On the other hand, I suppose they have to justify the $99 (!!) tag for one season somehow . . . given the choice, I suppose I'd rather pay the $30 sans fancyness - but let's have the choice.

SoddingNancyTribe | December 31, 09:15 CET

I grew up in a very, very small Illinois town (Morrison) and I remember trying to get the farmin' yokels (sp?) excited about Profit. No Dice. They pretty much stuck to their 9-0-2-1-0 guns. "Brenda Walsh is purty". The chance to see it on DVD is killer. Hey Joss, you're the bee's knees.

leaveittoreaver | December 31, 09:22 CET

Willowy, very good example. While I never really got into the show, when I saw the packaging for the Northern Exposure DVDs, I thought it was genius.

And just to comment on Joss's post: If Profit ended up as one of the Senior Partners on ANGEL that would have been such an obscure reference and just beyond random. I love it. (Granted, I wouldn't have gotten it initially, but I would have loved it after someone here on Whedonesque explained it to me...) I mean, taking a character from a television show that was cancelled after four episodes and bringing him over to a different show on a different network years later, it's almost as crazy as turning a cancelled sci-fi/western series into a major motion picture. Just totally insane.

[ edited by WindTheFrog on 2004-12-31 07:39 ]

WindTheFrog | December 31, 09:36 CET

Yeah, I would've loved to have seen Jamie Summers show up as Buffy's aunt!!

Firefly Flanatic | December 31, 09:37 CET

Rocking! I knew that even the shortest-lived and most forgotten of television shows that deserved a dvd release would probably get one when I saw a dvd of after school specials that had probably never been seen since their original broadcasts, where I laughed at them mercilessly over my algebra homework. But Profit deserves the all-star treatment, no doubt about it.

Jack Gladney | December 31, 09:39 CET

Oh hey, and having Profit show up as a senior partner would have rocked as much as when Salami from White Shadow was an orderly on St. Elsewhere, maybe even more. Except, you know, sinister and stuff.

Jack Gladney | December 31, 09:44 CET

Could someone please explain about "underpants gnomes?" I suspect a google would not help me much, here.

dreamlogic | December 31, 11:11 CET

It's a South Park episode: http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-344/epid-2446/

Caleb | December 31, 12:46 CET

"If Profit ended up as one of the Senior Partners on ANGEL that would have been such an obscure reference and just beyond random"

There was a reference to David Greenwalt's short lived series 'Miracles' in "Peace Out" back in Angel season 4.

"God is Nowhere, Jasmine is the Way" appeared on the church bulletin board.

Simon | December 31, 12:51 CET

Thanks, Caleb.

dreamlogic | December 31, 13:07 CET

Personally I always wanted to see Bruce Campbell as a senior partner. And also,HOLY CRAP JOSS REFERENCED MY POST IN RELATION TO MARTI NOXON! I'm way too excited about this.

adventures in spelling | December 31, 13:52 CET

"Yes, Joss mentiond my name. Who want's to touch me? I SAID WHO WANT'S TO TOUCH ME?!"

(South Park reference.....)

zz9 | December 31, 15:22 CET

There was a reference to David Greenwalt's short lived series 'Miracles' in "Peace Out" back in Angel season 4.

Miracles needs to come to DVD soon...

Grounded | December 31, 15:24 CET

Thanks for the reply Joss, and confirming the Profit almost coming to Angel as senior partner. As Xander would say, "the G Man was here." But for Joss, "The J Man"

SeanValen | December 31, 17:26 CET

And there I thought the underpants gnome might have had something to do with parking tickets - sorry tangential reference, I know!

catalyst2 | December 31, 17:48 CET

AHH! My heart drops everytime I see "(ADDED) Joss posts". WHy oh why am I never on when he is?! I've never heard of "Profit", but since my last impluse splurge on the Firefly dvds last summer, I see no reason why I shouldn't go out and buy it without a second thought.

MySerenity | December 31, 19:24 CET

Ah, Mel Profit from WISEGUY... Kevin Spacey's big break. (Or maybe not.) A lovely character, though Ray Sharkey's Sonny Steelgrave is a tough act to follow.

I'm happy that the WISEGUY series continues to get released on DVD (albeit expensively); I thought they'd fold their tents up after season 1. I suspect that the "Music Industry" arc is going to have a considerably different soundtrack -- the music rights for all those songs in the 80s being tough to get. But hey, Tim Curry -- woo-hoo!

(And what is it with Ken Wahl? No pictures or video of him -- just his ghostly voice on the second audio track. Is he the new conduit to the Powers That Be?)

BTW, re: the NORTHERN EXPOSURE packaging: Yes, very cute -- but I stopped buying the DVDs after the first season because (1) they're OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive, (2) there's nothing extra there for that money (two-sided DVDs, for God's sake!), and (3) all the alterations to the soundtrack just screw up the story. I swear, I think they replaced some of the songs with Muzak.

I'll go home now.

bookrats | December 31, 22:40 CET

I remember watching Profit as a fourteen year old. Pasdar was quite a hottie and I recall being so confused that I felt so fascinated by such a vile character.
I loved that line about Shakespeare and Orson Wells in the very beginning of the article, because it's so true: the evil guys are so much more interesting.

Kind of reminds me of another person who does amazing work with moral ambiguity *cough* hey Joss! *cough*

rsfayez | January 01, 06:25 CET

Now all they need to do is release AMERICAN GOTHIC to DVD.

misbegotten3 | January 01, 10:54 CET

Profit on DvD, a must buy

I remember being on the road some years ago
and catching it in France where it was a big hit.
A channel had a special week, showing one episode a day.

I was quite upset when I realised there was only 8(?)
episodes, would have loved to see the story continued.

jpr | January 01, 14:54 CET

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