2008 Woodie Awards
Medical dramas take over television
Ilia Lopez
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Intermission
- Page 1 of 1
Monday kicked off one of television's most important weeks of the year, premiere week.
Second only to sweeps month, premiere week allows droves of fans who have been waiting all summer long to catch up with their favorite characters, or as I like to call them, friends.
Others are looking forward to a slew of new shows hitting the airwaves, most of which will sadly get a pink slip before the month is over.
Over the past few years, there has been a resurgence of the medical show genre. "ER," which also returns after leaving the emergency room in the middle of a shoot-out crisis, had the market cornered, quickly disposing of its only true competitor, "Chicago Hope," years ago.
That all changed three years ago, when two new shows swept the television landscape and redefined how we watch the classic medical drama.
"House" and "Grey's Anatomy" return this week with their fourth seasons and have arguably eclipsed the acclaim and admiration of their predecessors.
Top quality actors and writers keep fans hooked as "House" has let his staff go and assumes a teaching role in a university.
The ever tumultuous love triangle of Meredith, Derek and Fate continues to hang in the balance.
However, these are not the only options available in the medical realm. The more realistic docudrama, "Dr. 90210" on the E! Entertainment channel follows the real lives of several high profile Hollywood plastic surgeons.
Since its creation, FX's thrilling drama "Nip/Tuck" has chronicled the lives of doctors Christian Troy and Sean McNamara.
When we last saw these two, they relocated from sunny Miami Beach to the even sunnier Hollywood Hills.
This season, life will probably not be any less dramatic for them.
If these shows cause blood pressure to spike, than maybe Discovery channel's "Real Life Medical Miracles" or "More Trauma in the ER" will be a better fit.
These shows expose true life situations either reenacted or shown in true form following a series of young doctors making their journey.
NBC's medical comedy "Scrubs" returns in October to answer the question that's on every fans' mind, "What's going to happen with J.D. and Eliot?"
The new medical drama, ABC's "Private Practice," is a spin-off series from the creators of "Grey's Anatomy."
This drama is sure to capture that audience, but the real question is, will it capture any new television viewers?
Second only to sweeps month, premiere week allows droves of fans who have been waiting all summer long to catch up with their favorite characters, or as I like to call them, friends.
Others are looking forward to a slew of new shows hitting the airwaves, most of which will sadly get a pink slip before the month is over.
Over the past few years, there has been a resurgence of the medical show genre. "ER," which also returns after leaving the emergency room in the middle of a shoot-out crisis, had the market cornered, quickly disposing of its only true competitor, "Chicago Hope," years ago.
That all changed three years ago, when two new shows swept the television landscape and redefined how we watch the classic medical drama.
"House" and "Grey's Anatomy" return this week with their fourth seasons and have arguably eclipsed the acclaim and admiration of their predecessors.
Top quality actors and writers keep fans hooked as "House" has let his staff go and assumes a teaching role in a university.
The ever tumultuous love triangle of Meredith, Derek and Fate continues to hang in the balance.
However, these are not the only options available in the medical realm. The more realistic docudrama, "Dr. 90210" on the E! Entertainment channel follows the real lives of several high profile Hollywood plastic surgeons.
Since its creation, FX's thrilling drama "Nip/Tuck" has chronicled the lives of doctors Christian Troy and Sean McNamara.
When we last saw these two, they relocated from sunny Miami Beach to the even sunnier Hollywood Hills.
This season, life will probably not be any less dramatic for them.
If these shows cause blood pressure to spike, than maybe Discovery channel's "Real Life Medical Miracles" or "More Trauma in the ER" will be a better fit.
These shows expose true life situations either reenacted or shown in true form following a series of young doctors making their journey.
NBC's medical comedy "Scrubs" returns in October to answer the question that's on every fans' mind, "What's going to happen with J.D. and Eliot?"
The new medical drama, ABC's "Private Practice," is a spin-off series from the creators of "Grey's Anatomy."
This drama is sure to capture that audience, but the real question is, will it capture any new television viewers?