What’s causing medical dramas to experience a comeback during this Emmys season? The creators behind popular series such as Brilliant Minds, Doc, Doctor Odyssey, The Pitt, Pulse and Watson have some explanations (besides simply being “quite good,” as R. Scott Gemmill of The Pitt puts it).
Medical series present challenges and offer resolutions, thereby instilling optimism,” Gemmill expresses to THR. “I believe people are yearning for optimism now more than they have in a while.” Similarly, Craig Sweeny, showrunner of Watson, concurs: “Viewers are seeking the hope and positivity that are inherent in this genre.
Brilliant Minds
NBC
Drawing inspiration from Oliver Sacks’ books “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars”, the TV series “Brilliant Minds” features Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf, a neurologist at Bronx General Hospital. Creator Michael Grassi notes that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked new conversations about healthcare and healthcare workers. He explains, “We’re now discussing a national mental health crisis and loneliness as an epidemic. These are pressing issues we can delve into through the beloved genre that offers comfort even when tackling challenging topics.” Grassi further highlights what makes “Brilliant Minds” distinctive, stating, “By focusing on the brain – neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery – we provide a unique perspective on this genre.
Watson
Paramount+
Just like “The Pitt,” the series titled “Watson” is set in the vibrant city of Pittsburgh. As showrunner Sweeny explains, “Pittsburgh holds a special place in my heart as it’s where I was born and raised amidst the corridors of the hospital where my mother worked.” He further adds that this series serves as an opportunity to honor the city’s distinctive charm and the educational corridor that ignited his passion for learning.
What sets “Watson” apart is its blend of medical drama with detective work, which was a source of inspiration for Sweeny, who acknowledges being influenced by and being “indebted to” the show “House“. According to Sweeny, the storylines of “Watson” are marked by cases that lie on the borders of scientific understanding, which often propel the narrative into uncharted territories.
The cast for “Watson” includes Morris Chestnut, Eve Harlow, and Peter Mark Kendall.
Pulse
Netflix
Zoe Robyn developed the first Netflix original English-language series, titled “Pulse“. This captivating medical drama features Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, and Justina Machado in lead roles. The story unfolds at a level-one trauma center in Miami following a sexual harassment allegation and during a hurricane, adding to the intensity of the situation. Notably, Carlton Cuse, famously known for his work on “Lost“, was one of the executive producers for this show. In 2023, Cuse found himself in Emmy contention with his Apple TV+ miniseries “Five Days at Memorial“, another medical drama focusing on the struggles faced by a New Orleans hospital post-Hurricane Katrina’s landfall.
St. Denis Medical
NBC
A Different Take on Healthcare: “St. Denis Medical”
Contrary to popular belief, “St. Denis Medical,” featuring Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, and Allison Tolman, is not a medical drama. Instead, it’s a comedic series that centers around the struggles of overworked medical professionals at an underfunded hospital in Oregon.
This season, critiques on healthcare funding have been prevalent, with shows like “The Pitt” also tackling similar issues due to insufficient resources. As Eric Ledgin, the showrunner, puts it, “Hospitals and insurance companies are overly concerned with finances, while our hardworking healthcare heroes continue to push their limits, showing up for us in our most critical moments.”
He further adds, “And we, as a society, seem to be more unwell than ever? It’s an intriguing blend of mostly negative aspects.
The Pitt
HBO Max
The show, known as “The Pitt“, has been praised for its accurate and lifelike depiction of healthcare professionals working in an underfunded, overworked emergency room. Each episode lasts one hour, and the 15 episodes of a season correspond to a full shift for the ER staff. The title of the show plays on two meanings: “The pit” is often used as a nickname for the ER due to its hectic atmosphere, while the series takes place in Pittsburgh, a city that has historically been a blue-collar steel town but also played a significant role in the development of modern medicine, such as ambulance services and street medicine. The inspiration for The Pitt came largely from the classic show “M*A*S*H“, which was a writing masterclass, according to Gemmill.
Doctor Odyssey
ABC
Ryan Murphy, who is also vying for an Emmy award with his series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and “Grotesquerie”, collaborated with Jon Robin Baitz (of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”) and Joe Baken to create the ABC series “Doctor Odyssey”. What sets this medical drama apart from others is its unique setting – a luxury cruise ship, where a new doctor and his team must tackle unconventional medical cases while being miles away from land. Starring in the show are Joshua Jackson, Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale, and Don Johnson. In fact, “Doctor Odyssey” has been ABC’s most watched drama debut in four years. John Oliver on “Last Week Tonight” described it as “It’s like a steamy ‘ER’ on a boat; it’s ‘The Pitt’ with sharks!
Doc
Fox
Unlike the character Doctor Odyssey, Doc is modeled after the Italian TV series Doc — Nelle tue mani, which was based on the true story of Dr. Pierdante Piccioni who lost 12 years of his memory due to a car accident. This medical drama focuses on Dr. Amy Larsen, portrayed by Molly Parker, as she strives to rebuild her medical career after the accident, despite not recalling significant life events like a divorce. The surge in medical dramas can be attributed to their relatability, according to the show’s creator Barbie Kligman. She notes that while you might never find yourself in a police station or courtroom, it’s almost certain that you’ll visit a hospital at some point in your life.
The article you’re reading was published in the June 11 edition of The Hollywood Reporter. If you’d like to receive similar updates regularly, consider subscribing.
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2025-06-14 20:25