I've spent more time in and around hospitals than I care to. I've spent long nights in the ER that turned into mornings that turned into an admittance requiring daily visits. I've eaten too many meals in hospital cafeterias, contemplated the irony of scarfing down a burger and fries in an environment dedicated to getting people healthy. All the while, I've talked and listened to lots of doctors, nurses, attendants, and anyone else wearing scrubs and/or a lab coat. I was paying attention directly to them and to the always noisy backgrounds. I was listening for some catastrophe to explode, doctors and nurses to knock me over as they rushed passed me on the way to saving the day, yelling "STAT" at the top of their lungs. It never happened.
It's Thursday, and this week's topic for Thursday Movie Picks, hosted by Wanderer at Wandering through Wandering Shelves, has me thinking about all those trips in search of health care. That topic, medical drama. Since this is the last Thursday of the month, we're actually talking television not movies this time. Thankfully, in TV land, shows about doctors are almost as ubiquitous as cop shows. That means there are lots of ways to go here. To narrow it down just a bit, how 'bout we combine doctor shows and cop shows. Hmmm, let's see what I came up with.
Quincy, M.E.
(1976-1983)
Quincy, played by Jack Klugman, is a coroner who does autopsies and takes the information he's learned from them and solves murders. As a tyke, this was THE medical show. Everyone seemed to be into Quincy, at least all the adults I knew. It took a while before I could appreciate it, but it is an intriguing show.
Bones
(2005-2017)
Emily Deschanel plays the eponymous Bones. a forensic anthropologist. Basically, she does autopsies, or examines the bones of the long deceased, takes the information she's learned from them and solves murders. More accurately, she works with special FBI Agent Booth (David Boreanaz) to solve murders. Sure, it's a CSI knock-off, but it's a good one. It just wrapped up its final season and is one of those shows I've gotten to know over the years, thanks to Mrs. Dell. She wasn't a hardcore devotee of the show, but she'd watch it from time to time. I joined often enough to develop a liking for it, too.
Rosewood
(2015-present)
Speaking of Mrs. Dell, this pick is purely for her. Not that I don't like the show because I do. It's just that she likes it way more than I. Let me rephrase that. She LOVES this show. What's the primary reason for her undying affection, you ask? Morris Chestnut. Morris F'n Chestnut. He plays Rosewood, a pathologist who works as a consultant for the police. In other words, he does autopsies and takes the information he's learned from them and solves murders. My wife's feelings about Mr. Chestnut aside, this is a solidly entertaining show I'd like to see continue for the foreseeable future.
I don't watch a lot of TV shows as medical dramas is something I don't watch at all with exception of that one episode of ER directed by Quentin Tarantino. I like your choices though as I decide to not submit anything for this week though the one for next week is already finished.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea QT directed an episode of ER. Very interesting.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these, but I've been meaning to watch Bones for years. I totally get Mrs. Dell. He's Morris Chestnut, after all.
ReplyDeleteBones is pretty good. I recommend checking it out. And there's just no denying Morris Chestnut.
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks, though I'm familiar with them.
ReplyDeleteCool. I like them all if it encourages you to try one.
DeleteWelp. I've never seen one second of any of these. I really should have seen at least one episode of Bones by now, especially since I like David Boreanaz much in the way Mrs. Dell likes Morris Chestnut, but I've never gotten around to it. There are just too many shows!
ReplyDeleteToo many shows, indeed. Now you've got 12 seasons to catch up with!
DeleteI love Quincy! I always watched this show and found it entertaining. I realized, later, that a coroner would never be that involved in solving a murder but...who cares. Bones has been on for so long and I never watched it even though I think I would enjoy it. I don't even know the last one. Is Rosewood on a regular TV channel or is it on HBO or Netflix because I don;t have those 2 at all. I almost picked Diagnosis Murder with the Dr., played by Penis Van Lesbian...sorry, Dick Van Dyke (Bad humour I know) who helps solves crimes with his real son, Barry Dyke, who is a cop. There is also Rizzoli and Isles but I never watched that show.
ReplyDeleteWho cares is exactly how I feel about it. Bones is a very solid show. Rosewood comes on Fox, so no cable, dish, or Netflix needed. Penis Van Lesbian...HA!!! Thanks for a great laugh. I've never heard of Rizzoli and Isles.
DeleteOoh, we have a match on Queasy, ME. But not only would Quincy not be that involved in solving murders, he also took too much of the job that the Department of Public Health would have. That sort of nannying aside, the show was always entertaining. And I always thought of Robert Ito when the OJ Simpson trial came along. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou have to throw reality out the window, especially with medical shows. All that counts is if it's entertaining.
DeleteI only know Bones which is a really great show but it has so many seasons it's not overwhelming to catch up. I watched all the episodes until Booth and Bones had a kid together but I really enjoyed watching it, the supporting characters were fun and it was fascinating to watch just how much one can learn from human body. Some of the ways these people died in were truly horrific though like that lady crushed by an elevator or something. It actually got me a bit depressed that's all that is left of us is just disgusting stuff like that
ReplyDeleteI really like Bones, but yeah, there were some horrific sights on that show.
DeleteQuincy was good, I haven't seen the other two though.
ReplyDeleteQuincy was very good.
DeleteI LOVED Quincy mostly because of Jack Klugman who balanced his flintiness with compassion and humor. I usually knew where the show was going within the first ten minutes but Jack kept me coming back and I was a fan of Anita Gillette as well when they brought her on as his love interest.
ReplyDeleteI came late to Bones and while it was frequently too forensic for me I like the chemistry of the cast but haven't seen all the seasons yet. There seem to be so many!
Haven't seen a single ep of Rosewood though.
Like cop shows the picking of doctor shows is vast which makes finding three easy. It will be interesting too see if there's any overlay this week since there seems to be something for everyone. I went with three favorites from when I was a kid.
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)-Set in Boston’s financially strapped St. Eligius Hospital (the St. Elsewhere of the title so called due to its less than exalted place in the city residents hearts despite it being a teaching hospital), headed by Drs. Donald Westphall, Daniel Auschlander and autocratic Mark Craig (Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels respectively). The series follows the overlapping lives of many incoming residents, doctors and patients and their families, including something of a first for serial TV Westphall’s autistic son Tommy (Chad Allen). Critically acclaimed series that though never a big ratings success managed to run for six seasons as a prestige show for the network. This served as the launching pad for many stars including series regulars Denzel Washington, Alfre Woodard, Mark Harmon and Helen Hunt. Laced with an absurdist edge the show could be hysterically funny and also crushingly sad, sometimes within the same episode.
M*A*S*H (1972-1983)-Long running comedy/drama show based on Robert Altman’s film about life in a Mobil Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War featuring the travails, both funny and sad, of Dr. “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda), Head Nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit)-both of whom stayed throughout the series run-and the various others surgeons & aides-Trapper John, B.J., Henry Blake, Colonel Potter, Radar O’Reilly, Charles Winchester, Frank Burns, the crossdressing Max Klinger and Father Mulcahy who passed through. Beginning as a light hearted comedy this morphed through the years into one of the finest dramedy series in history. What kept it vital aside from excellent writing was the flow of characters during the years allowing for fresh interactions and situations.
Medical Center (1971-1976)-Dr. Paul Lochner (James Daly-father of performers Tyne & Timothy) is the chief of staff at a large L.A. based hospital. Experienced and capable he is friendly with the young associate professor of surgery Dr. Joe Gannon (Chad Everett) but they often clash over medical procedures for the patients. Lochner favoring tried and true methods while Gannon believes in more experimental methods. Weekly different challenges present themselves to the doctors and nurses, overseen by Head Nurse Eve Wilcox (Audrey Totter).
Jack Klugman was great in this. It was always odd for me to see him in this, though, because I was a huge fan of The Odd Couple. To me, he was Oscar Madison.
Delete12 seasons of Bones, to be exact. Go for it!
I watched St. Elsewhere off and on throughout its run. Its cast is definitely its claim to fame with how many went on to bigger and better things.
I have an odd relationship with M*A*S*H. I wasn't a fan as a kid, but since it was always on, I may have seen just about every episode. I didn't start to appreciate the show until I was much older, and after I had seen the film. Great pick.
Haven't heard of Medical Center.
I can see not being into M*A*S*H as a kid, it had its goofy moments and episodes, and the maniacal Colonel Flagg could always be counted on for a laugh because of Edward Winter's brilliant playing of the role, but especially as it went on it went for deeper interplay and heavier themes.
DeleteI have many favorite episodes but perhaps my top one is the surreal "Dreams" where the surgeons and Margaret Houlihan fall into exhausted sleep during breaks in a marathon operating session seeking a respite but the horrors and terrors of war follows them into their dreams. It's brilliant but hardly child friendly.
It was definitely not a kid friendly show. I couldn't name a favorite episode. I just don't recall enough details about any of them.
DeleteBones ran for years! I haven't seen Rizzoli and Isles but it has been running for a while and has strong main leads.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I swear I hadn't heard of it before now.
DeleteI know it because it has a lead from Law and Order and one from NCIS so it certainly has legal background.
DeleteWow. Not sure how this never at least made it onto my radar before now.
DeleteI like your theme within a theme and there soo many of these cop/medical dramas.
ReplyDeleteThey're everywhere. Hell, I could've done this list just on CSI shows.
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