Philanthropy has always been something of a sacred cow, most likely because people have a hard time understanding how charity can be seen as a selfish pursuit. The Foundation, a brand-new half-hour comedy series coming to Showcase on Sunday, September 13th at 10:40pm ET/PT, aims to change that perception, offering an absurdly funny take on the motives behind the money.

The central character of the series is Michael Valmont-Selkirk, an irresponsible, corrupt man who holds the reins of The R.J. Selkirk Foundation, a powerful not-for-profit organization. His foundation has a mandate of supporting various funds and important causes, but it's clear that Michael’s primary motivation for helping anybody with anything comes down to the potential for personal gain.

The series also stars Martin Sims as Barry, the scheming CFO of The Foundation, as well as Rebecca Northan as the do-good executive vice-president. Quebec star Yvan Ponton is Réjean Lemelin, Michael Valmont-Selkirk’s nemesis from another charity. Paul J. Spence (of FUBAR fame) plays foundation spokesperson Apollo, a famous rock-opera-meets-Cirque du Soleil star.

Valmont-Selkirk is played to reprehensible perfection by Mike Wilmot (It's All Gone Pete Tong), as directed by Michael Dowse (FUBAR), both of whom will be on hand for a sneak preview of the series at the NFB CineRobotheque in Montreal on Thursday, July 23 at 7pm. They'll be joined by co-stars Sims and Northan, as well as the rest of the cast and crew, including Jennifer Wilson who co-executive produced the series along with Dowse.

And to see a glimmer of why Mike Wilmot deserves his new leading man status, Montrealers will also want to check him out in all his glory at Club Soda as part of the Just For Laughs Nasty Show. The Montreal Gazette, citing last year's performance, wrote that "Wilmot stole the show and killed with his shtick about sex positions that can’t be repeated in a family newspaper ... With his dry, monotone delivery, Wilmot – looking like a bizarre cross between Jonathan Winters and Elton John, as one bear-like patron noted – had audience members convulsing and, in some cases, actually falling off their chairs."

Michael Dowse, creator, writer, director, and co-executive producer of The Foundation -- a less impartial commenter, perhaps, but no less noteworthy -- had this to say about his star: "Mike Wilmot is the funniest human alive. All I'm doing is harnessing this renewable energy source so our children's children can live in a funnier world."

Who better to teach us about the dark side of generosity?

To get your own sneak peek at this hilarious new original series, check out the first of several behind the scenes clips at the Showcase video centre. You'll be seeing a lot more of The Foundation in the weeks and months to come, so stay tuned.