Musings 04042025

ramblings on my favorite tv genre - medical

Please note as of this writing, I’ve only seen episodes 1-13 of The Pitt and episodes 1-2 of Pulse.

As much as we roll our eyes at the current studio and network mandates¹ (white guys are back in y'all) one random silver lining to this new maelstrom of an already turbulent industry is the slew of new medical shows hitting our airwaves. I'm a sucker for anything medical. ER was my bread and butter growing up and I also enjoyed House, Scrubs, and dare I say the first handful of seasons of Grey's as I half-hate watched the Shonda created 2005 entry eating its way into ER's already established and storied market share. And while ER ended its historic 15 year run in 2009, and the likes of House and Scrubs ending their runs in the early 2010s... all that was left holding the proverbial medical tv bag was Grey's... which, was not my bread and butter.²

Not to mention of course Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Hawthorne, Private Practice, Off the Map, and Night Shift, but we can’t deny the ratings juggernaut that was Grey’s Anatomy at the time and still is today. Side note — Merritt Weaver’s Emmy acceptance speech for Nurse Jackie remains a favorite til this day. But I digress…

Primetime medical television, in my opinion, began to shift again around 2015 with Code Black. CBS using 'ER' as a cultural touchpoint for their ‘big hot new show’ in most of their marketing. As an OG ER fan, I knew from the previews that it would fall short... and it did. Following Code Black came The Good Doctor, The Resident, New Amsterdam, and short lived Nurses. All were compelling, but too clean for my tastes but hey, the studio and networks were finding their medical show strides. And while I never latched onto any of these new forays into primetime network medicine, save perhaps The Good Doctor (I wanted to like it so much!), nothing quite scratched my ER itch. By this time too I'd finally worked my way up and into the WGA, and while in the violent and muddied trenches of Power (Starz) and then into more soapy ensembles of The CW (RIP), I decided to write my own medical drama... what I wanted to see on TV. 

My first attempt was with 'Brooklyn Memorial' my then updated take on ER taking place at a fictionalized ‘urban’ trauma center lying at the intersection of varying degrees of socioeconomic neighborhoods like Park Slope, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Greenwood, and Gowanus. It was an ensemble piece with a diverse cast, focusing not only on the doctors, or those in training, but also the nurses, paramedics, house cleaning staff, and admin that support a sprawling ‘urban’ hospital... something I found lacking in most of these primetime network attempts - no shade, just thoughts from someone who loves the genre. And while I was told ‘Brooklyn Memorial’ was a solid sample, my spy drama (espionage is my second most favorite genre, sup Alias) ended up getting me the most meetings.

Now, everyone I've worked with knows my love of 'medicine.' It's no secret that I grew up thinking I'd become a doctor or nurse who wanted to pump out a few novels, Crichton style, on the side. And when that didn't pan out, and I discovered the world of writing for TV and film, that desire to tell universal and impactful stories through the lens of medicine took on a life of its own.

It wasn't until Good Sam did I think I'd have a shot at staffing and writing on a 'new' medical show. And while I didn't get a meeting, Good Sam ended up lasting all of 13 episodes before CBS gave it the axe. Then... the dual strikes. Then... the imploding of our craft and industry, and the scarcity of jobs due to shrinking room sizes. So like most of us, I kept writing, into the void, hoping one day the fruit of such labor would pay off. Among my new samples, a new medical drama emerged. This one, 'Ambush' focusing on a trauma surgeon suffering PTSD from her experiences in Afghanistan. I used Hollywood, Health & Society³ to interview paramedics, surgeons, and pilots who'd done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as those working in small remote towns long forgotten by coastal elites (I'm a liberal from Kansas living in Brooklyn, don't shoot me). Some of those interviews still haunt me... but they were hella insightful into what I still find lacking in our primetime medical lineups. A focus on the trauma and PTSD of being a healthcare worker in America and within our Armed Forces. Too - I don't know about you, but as a millennial, I too am frustrated by the false future that was promised to us. But before I launch into a political tirade — let me focus back on the medical TV of it all. 

While I still love me some good 'ol ER, it wasn't hitting the way it used to. Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and my own myriad of health scares (chest tubes are only fun to watch on tv, not experience fyi), my once comfort show was now causing me anxiety. I started wondering how the fictional characters of County General would have faired during the pandemic. Who would live, who would've died, who would be attacked for their selfless and valiant efforts, and who would've cut their losses and end it all before it could get any worse. I started to dream of a new medical drama, one that was hard, gritty, and fast paced, but focused on the personal sacrifices these healthcare workers make on a daily basis knowing they soldiered on when our pots stopped clanging at sundown. In my search to write new medical content, I also stumbled upon Canada's Transplant (CTV) and Netfilx's Respira. Transplant is what I call ER-lite and I loved how it focused on a Syrian refugee trying to find his footing in a new country while also continuing his medical training. Dr. Bashir Hamed (Hamza Haq) very much reminded me of Dr. Luka Kovac's (Goran Visnjic) storyline on ER (re the Yugoslav Wars). And over on Respira — it’s too good, promise me you'll watch — they handled the harried mess that is post-pandemic healthcare today to a capital T and I hope Netflix renews it stat. Respira, in my opinion, was what I've been craving from American medical primetime television. But after consuming all the episodes in two sittings, I was left wanting more...

Which leads me to these mandates. The studios and networks are slashing budgets, 'saving money,' and blaming the 'streamlining of efforts' on the dual strikes of 2023. We, of course, know better. But as a byproduct, there's now a mandate for the mundane, paint by numbers procedural of the cop, fire, law, and medical variety. Oh, and ‘white guys with guns’. Thanks Yellowstone. Something that can be easily digestible across the board and half watched while scrolling socials. But to this end, the medical television landscape has exploded. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, I'm counting five new dramas that have hit the network airwaves and two more finally landing on streamers wanting to dip their toes in the primetime-esque yet bingeable medical waters. I'm talking about NBC'S Brilliant Minds and St. Denis Medical, ABC's 9-1-1s (formerly Fox’s) and Dr. Odyssey, Fox’s Doc, and CBS’ Watson. While St. Denis remains the cream of this new 2024-2025 crop in my humble opinion, of course we can’t ignore the new bad boy in town — The Pitt. 

Cue Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town”…

Everyone is absolutely raving about The Pitt and I’m not shy to admit that I wasn’t so sure about this John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill, and Noah Wyle backed medical drama given the lawsuit with Crichton’s estate⁴. I’m also not shy to admit that The Pitt is nothing like ER in the sense that I still believe ER is better from an entertaining yet informative storytelling perspective. While The Pitt has been lauded for its accuracy, for me, at the end of the day, I turn to TV for escapism — not trauma porn or exposition dumps on why they’re choosing to tell these stories in the first place. If I wanted bonafide accuracy, I’d watch a documentary or pick a book from my non-fiction medical TBR. Yes I am sat week to week, my blood pressure rising over Santos’ antics and wishing Javadi and Whittaker would just step back and listen for a change, but the one thing The Pitt is addressing, that I was aching to see, was the harrowing work and sacrifices our medical workers endure day in and day out. While I find The Pitt quite dry (I need some score please!), would like to go outside (claustrophobic much), and predictable (perhaps a byproduct of my medical television consumption), I’d be dumb to ignore all its positive reviews amongst casual viewers, medical workers, and critics alike. And as my friends like to remind and tease me about saying nice things, I am enjoying Mohan and King’s characters played by Taylor Dearden and Supriya Ganesh respectively. Am I hoping for a Covid flashback episode that will finally reveal Carter’s Robby’s trauma? Yes. Will we get it? Who knows.⁵

But The Pitt isn’t the only medical show in the streaming space. Enter — Pulse. While tackling the same format as The Pitt (ER meets 24) - where every episode represents an an hour on a long and tiring shift down in the ED - what The Pitt lacks in color, fun, chemistry, score, and soap, Pulse doles out in spades. Now, having NOT watched Grey’s Anatomy, I don’t feel comfortable comparing the two, but what I’m enjoying so far about Pulse is that… I’m having fun. I had fun watching ER, Scrubs, House, Transplant, and Respira but after every episode of The Pitt I feel drained and hopeless. I believe TV is meant to entertain and inform. When even my primary care physician took a break from my yearly physical to ‘talk Pitt’ she kept going on about how accurate it is. I pushed back. Asking her if she was enjoying herself. She couldn’t answer. She just kept praising its accuracy... 

I was hype for Pulse for two reasons. 1. Justina Machado. I’m a huge fan and know her to be a kind human who talked to me, a nobody, back in 2009, when she came back to ER⁶ and I stood with my friend in awe watching the filming of one of its final episodes on a sunny corner on the Warner Bros. lot. 2. I read the pilot. And usually I get mad when things try to emulate ER (see: Code Black) but for whatever reason, when I finished my of Pulse, I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is like ER. I can’t wait for this to come out!’ Now, having watched the first two episodes do I wish Pulse was a little more grounded with more regular looking people on my TV screen? Sure. But it’s a nice antidote to the grim realities that Wells and co have been doling out week to week with The Pitt. While I’m not a fan of “Dr. Danny Simms” sad self doubting broken bird routine, I am intrigued by the residents interpersonal dynamics, Justina Machado’s complex “Dr. Cruz”, “Phillips” secret, and am genuinely curious (and concerned?) where the ED Attending is or if one even exists…

Given this new slew of medical entertainment, I wanted to rewind a bit. After casually searching for years for streamers or VOD to make available China Beach, I finally found DVD copies at the New York Public Library (thank you libraries!). I got chills when I finally watched the pilot, seeing the name Rod Holcomb appear on my screen⁷. And knew the writing credits of Mimi Leder, Lydia Woodward, Carol Flint, John Wells, all from their names also appearing during the opening credits of the ER episodes I’ve now committed to memory. In the China Beach pilot alone I could see the natural evolution of the primetime medical drama. From the My Khe Beach in Đà Nẵng Vietnam, to the under funded and over crowded County General in Chicago, to the ED ‘pit’ of Pittsburgh, it felt like I was giving myself a mini crash course into the history of medical dramatic television. Yes I’ve seen the St. Elsewhere pilot (hi Denzel), watched M*A*S*H as reruns on Nick at Nite, and peeped an episode of Chicago Hope when it was still on, but what China Beach, ER, and The Pitt all have in common (despite the same behind the scenes players), was the messy humanity portrayed by the varying walks of life that make up our medical corps both at home and on the front lines. More of that please.

I know it’s impossible to cover all modern medical shows⁸, but I’d like to acknowledge the low stakes existence of Hart of Dixie and Stanley Tucci taking a turn at that glossy primetime doctor life with CBS’ 3 lbs. I will say, I did enjoy Netflix’s limited run K-Drama ‘Dr. Cha’ and hope to put my Mia/American spin on it soon. Even if it’s just another medical sample to add to my staffing arsenal. Also a quick shout out for Germany’s ‘Berlin ER’ / ‘Krank Berlin’. The pilot alone is an intense, cinematographically pleasing wild trip ride.

All the above I write with love about my favorite genre of TV. I think it’s important that we can both be critical of something we love and partake in it. I probably won’t ever stop writing my medical pilots and features and I hope too one day I can either staff on someone’s medical drama or sell one of my own. But until then, I’ll be consuming all that I can… even if I still can’t figure out the whole VPN thing to finish Canada’s Transplant. Here’s to these mandates… may they expand in the near future ;D

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As always, thank you for reading,

m.

1. I wish traditional pubs like Vulture, Variety, et all would frame their ‘explosion of the medical drama’ articles about this… as if we writers don’t have other stories to tell that aren’t being pitched or bought by the major networks and streamers…

2. My main Grey’s beef stems from when suddenly the show went from being about surgeons doing surgery on the surgical floor to everyone suddenly being down in the 'ER’ as if there wasn’t entire field dedicated to emergency medicine especially given that ‘ER’ was still airing over on NBC at the time.

3. An invaluable resource, if you’re WGA, definitely reach out.

4. Exhibits A, B, and C.

5. Um… given that The Pitt was originally a failed ER reboot attempt, I’m hella curious if Wells and co were trying to kill off main man Dr. Benton before turning him into (presumably) “Adamson.”

6. Justina Machado appears as a gumption filled teen in ER’s ‘live’ episode at the top of season four then comes back in the final season as “Officer Diaz.”

7. He directed both the ER pilot and series finale amongst other lauded accomplishments.

8. I know I probably still missed some shows like… Sirens? What else!? Drop in the comments.