Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Do No Harm

DO NO HARM












Starring: Steven Pasquale, Alana De La Garca, Michael Esper, Ruta Gedmintas, and Phylicia Rashad

Created by David Schulner
Written by David Schulner, Directed by Michael Mayer

Do No Harm is a new medical drama on NBC with a Jekyll and Hyde twist. Smart and successful neurosurgeon Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale) becomes the evil Ian Price at 8:25pm every night and he stays that way until 8:25am the next morning. Rounding out the main cast are co-workers of Cole including his boss Dr. Young (Phylicia Rashad) as well as a potential love interest, Dr. Lena Solis (Alana De La Garza), and a woman from his past, Olivia Flynn (Ruta Gedmintas).

THE GOOD: Do No Harm seemed to get better as it went along in the pilot which gives me a little bit of hope for future episodes. The "Hyde" side (Ian Price) was far more entertaining as Pasquale seemed to relish that side of his role and the character was much more interesting. The show seems like it might have some interesting stories to tell and I think the cast is good but I'm skeptical if they have the vision to make things work.

THE BAD: The problem was that this show was really boring for a good part of the episode. The show seemed to just be flipping between the two sides and yet they wouldn't even show the "Hyde" part right away, just the aftermath. Some shows get too deep into the back story in the pilot but I actually felt like this show needed a little more. I was a little confused and pretty bored during the first 15 minutes. They needed to show more of the evil side sooner and it wouldn't have hurt to connect some of the back story a little bit more. Finally, when you  have a talent like Phylicia Rashad, why use her so sparingly and in a seemingly inconsequential role.

BOTTOM LINE: The main thing from this show was I felt it just wasn't living up to its potential by any means. The storytelling and structure were weak even with an interesting idea. They seemed to get bogged down with the medical side of things too which isn't what this show should be about. I remember when pilot season was happening, it came down to this and Jason Katims' County for a pickup. I was disappointed at the time that this won out and I'm disappointed now.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more