2320 replies to this topic

[Kaywinnet]

Just when I thought I never wanted to see another doctor show again, USA has to go switch it up on me. Grr. They did the same thing with Psych, when I said that about detective shows.

Saw the promo for this during In Plain Sight, and it looks good. It's high time Mark Feuerstein, who I know from West Wing, got a drama gig like this. I'm looking forward to it.

Unfortunately USA doesn't have a full site up for it yet, which is a shame because I think of any network they have the best internet tie-ins for their shows, but they do have the promo up and a synopsis: http://www.usanetwor...ains/index.html

[ScarletPrincess]

I just saw the ad for this show. Looks interesting, and the perfect type of show for the summer. I'll definitely check it out.

[Kaywinnet]

They've updated the link above with the actual portal for the show... no games or anything yet like USA Network usually has, but they have a longer promo and the official synopsis:

When up-and-coming New York doctor Hank Lawson loses everything fighting for the life of a patient, he escapes to the Hamptons with his younger brother Evan. After making a dramatic medical rescue at a party, Hank inadvertently finds himself the Hamptons' most in-demand new doctor. Now, with the help of Evan and an ambitious physician assistant, Hank is once again helping those in need and reinventing himself as the Hamptons' hottest new doctor-on-demand. Catch the premiere of USA's new original series Royal Pains, Thursday, June 4 at 10/9C.

[LilMsTaylor]

I'm going to give this one a shot even though I will always remember Mark Feuerstein as the cute bisexual judge from Ally McBeal.

[Kaywinnet]

Hah... I admit I never watched enough Ally McBeal to know him from the show, but I liked him a LOT in West Wing. I think he's a really good actor, I'm excited to see him at the head of a drama like this. Plus his brother is really well-cast, they actually do look related.

[Featherhat]

I liked Cliff so I'll give it a shot. The premise sounds pretty light but USA have had some funny stuff on in the last few years so I'm hoping its good.

I remember the brother from the 1/2 ep of "Joey" I watched.

[Kaywinnet]

Yeah, I thought the premise for Psych sounded way too fluffy to be a good show, and now it's one of my favorites on TV right now. I think USA does a good job balancing drama and comedy, which is what this looks like to me.

And dude, you're so right. He is the guy from Joey! Sweet. :)

[moose135]

They were filming scenes for the show at Republic Airport on Long Island last week - they had closed off the parking lot next to the ramp where the USAF Thunderbirds had just arrived for the Memorial Day weekend air show, a number of folks who were there to see the airplanes commented that the show was appropriately named :-)

I did get a quick look at Mark as he walked from his trailer over to one of the buildings they were using - wearing a heavy winter coat on a sunny, 75 degree afternoon.

[Kaywinnet]

Augh, I'm so jealous! I love Mark Feuerstein, I would've soooo loved to catch them filming.

I've always wondered about that... how do they make it look real if the actors all bundled up against the "cold" are sweating? ;) Still, very cool... And very lucky. :) Mark Feuerstein's a cutie, definitely looking forward to a new show starring him.

[moose135]

Kaywinnet, it sounds like they are filming a lot of this on location on Long Island - I'll have to pay attention to see if I bump into them again. I'll let you know if I have any future sightings!

[Kaywinnet]

I think it's really cool that they're filming on location so much. The whole show is kind of a glimpse into the lives of the rich and fabulous, from the perspective of this guy who's used to the inner city. It's definitely a pleasure to see a show doing so much on location instead of in a studio, you know? I'm betting it pays off in the production quality in the end, the way Burn Notice does.

[jordanandsam]

The USA cross-promotional crew has done it again - just saw the commercial with the care package Michael Westen (Burn Notice) sent lead character Hank Lawson. Not unlike Det. Goren's welcome to the neighborhood for Mary Shannon. Full of AWESOME!

And I want what is in the drinking water at the USA Network offices.

[kricka]

I first had the hots for Mark Feuerstein when he played Sandra Bullock's doomed hubby in 'Practical Magic'. Then he was the awesome Cliff on West Wing. I am thrilled to know he has got a lead part on a show. I have a friend who did some extra work for this show at Coney Island. Nice to know they are utilizing my fair city. I will certainly be tuning in!

[BlakeSpeare]

On one hand, this show could be very entertaining. On the other hand, though, it seems like it was written exactly according to the USA formula, which apparently is less effective each time they try it. Was it really necessary to give the main character a ne'er-do-well same-gender sibling?

[LonePirate]

The premiere exhibited a lot of potential although Paolo Costanzo should never ever again be seen wearing a speedo in public. Hank dragged his feet for far too long in sticking around which we all knew would be happening. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and I'll be watching this again in the future, thanks to the summer television wasteland.

The future episode previews looked good. I was glad to see Andrew McCarthy coming up. Now if they can wrangle Jonathan Silverman and Terry Kiser, I may have a new favorite show.

[bbell0363]

Lots of potential it does have. I hope they have good writers.

[moose135]

Paolo Costanzo should never ever again be seen wearing a speedo in public

Line of the night: "...an Olympic swimmer from Queeristan"

Not bad - kept me entertained, they brought the funny, a good summer show, I'll probably stick around for this after Burn Notice. And I guess I'll have to keep watching to see how many Long Island spots I recognize.

[KMax]

Like Lone Pirate, I thought the "I am not staying" shtick played out far too long; we knew the outcome. And I tuned out on some of the heartfelt doctor crap between him and the nondescript "administrator" at the end. But it wasn't terrible, and given the summer schedule, I'll likely be back. First eps are often exposition heavy and lighten up and hit stride later. We will see...

ETA: So glad I'm a Jersey shore girl. I've got friends who try to get me out to the Hamptons repeatedly. Their Hamptons isn't this Hamptons, but even so...yuck.

Edited by KMax, Jun 4, 2009 @ 10:53 PM.

[Cardie]

Hank is just a bit too noble; when rich people offer you money, take it and do good works! But the supporting cast is quite appealing, especially Campbell Scott and the Indian P.A. At least Hank is self-interested enough to stick around for the crusading hospital administrator--and not just because of their shared views on the medical system.

[buttersister]

Campbell Scott's always nice to see. Tonight's episode suffered from pilotitis, but I'll check back after Burn Notice, at least one more time. The Tucker story was sweet, but all the gals falling all over Hank? Not so much.

[uclagirl]

Why is this classified under "Dramas"?

Meh. It's a show that doesn't seem to know the difference between "Physician Assistant" and "Personal Assistant to a Physician." And apparently bars of gold are really quite light. The writing's not that sharp, and the characters aren't particularly well-drawn. I like Mark Feuerstein, but not enough to keep watching. Except that when I said that, my husband (who didn't want to watch this to begin with) said that it's starting to grow on him. So I may be stuck.

And what's with Campbell Scott's bad accent? And who would have predicted he'd wind up looking like a slightly younger, slightly less distinctive Kevin Kline? Actually, I'm kind of sorry that they didn't just cast Kevin Kline.

Edited by uclagirl, Jun 4, 2009 @ 11:05 PM.

[kitty32]

I loved it -- from the bitchinn' sceney with the shots of the blue, blue water to the giiant house (that we're all now payng for) and the fairly light weight plots. It ws fun, not to serious, had some good pop references and I was impressed with most of the players (particulary suprised to see Liberty from AoTWT). I've been madly in love with Mark whatshisface since his stint on West Wing and have always looked forward to seeing hm in this own series. Fun times for summer.

Good casting,interesting premise and the whole McGyver touch is great touch.


ET: Shouldn't post when you've already taken a sleeping pill and it's 12:35 a.m.

Edited by kitty32, Jun 4, 2009 @ 11:38 PM.

[Nightraven]

Why exactly did they cast a woman that looks like she is in her 20s as a hospital administrator.

If they are going to cast someone who is believable as somsone who has been a doctor long enough to be the administrator of the entire hostpital, shouldnt they have cast an actress that looks atleast old enough to be an intern?

[A Little Edgy]

If they are going to cast someone who is believable as somsone who has been a doctor long enough to be the administrator of the entire hostpital, shouldnt they have cast an actress that looks atleast old enough to be an intern?

She's probably not a physician. Administrators of community hospitals usually aren't; and, anyway, she referred to her "grad school." She's still too young for the role, though.

Otherwise, I agree with other comments: Too much foot-dragging, but otherwise this looks like a light, fun summer series. Oh, and Mark Feuerstein is dishy - that helps.

Edited by A Little Edgy, Jun 5, 2009 @ 12:11 AM.

[Nightraven]

To have gotten far enough to be a hospital administrator, it takes decades. Even the youngest ones are middle aged.

[Irlandesa]

Pilotitis. I love that word. I'm going to use that word. This did have it majorly. I like Mark F in just about everything he has done and once again he brings enough charm to make me care about his character. But with this show, I feel like it sort of stopped there. I will probably give it one or two more episodes but the thing that this show has going against is that the premise already seemed extraordinarily weak. The pilot didn't exactly prove my initial instinct wrong.

I am a little surprised this was paired with Burn Notice. I would have thought that the other new USA Show, White Collar, would be a better fit with this one getting paired with Psych.

Edited by Irlandesa, Jun 5, 2009 @ 10:39 AM.

[BabyVegas]

I liked it. Maybe I'm just easy to please when it comes to TV, maybe I just like looking at pretty real estate, but it seems like a good show so far.

I agree that there was way too much time with Hank protesting about how he's not a concierge doctor. Since the entire premise of the show is that he becomes a concierge doctor, by the fiftieth time he denied being one, I was like "dude, I get it. You are A Moral Doctor." I did like the bit with the old concierge doctor warning Hank to keep his eyes open. I think it's because it keeps the show from being pure fantasy.

And I like the relationships. I really look forward to seeing Hank's working relationship/friendship with Divya, but I think they need to tone Hank's brother down a little bit because he was really grating on my nerves by the end of the episode.

[kostgard]

This was...okay. But it's hard to get a good feel for a show from the pilot, and I liked it well enough to give it a second chance. But if it weren't a summer series, so far I wouldn't make it a priority.

I did like Hank and his relationship with his brother. But a few other things kinda bugged - and I agree that the hospital administrator is waaaaaay too young for that position. Even for a backwoods hospital that's supposed to be a quack shack. She looked even younger than Hank's self-appointed PA.

It certainly does follow the USA formula - throw in Burn Notice's stylish camera tricks, sexy ocean-side locale with beautiful people, and Michael's skills to construct what ever he needs out of regular household items, add In Plain Sight's car that everyone sneers at (Hank's Saab for Mary's Ford Probe), stir in some witty/snarky banter from...well, all the other shows, toss in a medical degree and hit frappe - you got Royal Pains. But I guess I can't really blame them for not straying from the formula - it has proven to be very successful for USA.

[jopatura]

If they ever need a twin for Hank, they can always call this guy. I always get the two confused.

I liked the pilot, although I thought the teen scene dragged on a little. They could have cut out about five minutes of the girl's wailing and we'd still have the same episode. I didn't get annoyed with the whole will-I-or-won't-I schtick, but I chalked it up to just being a necessary evil of a pilot episode. At least they had him make up his mind at the end and it's not a running gag as he treats all his patients.

I figured the hospital administrator was a little young, but probably not the top dog. More like the assistant manager role, if anything. She's the one the real guys trot out so they don't have to deal with the crazies. I'm sure the real admistrators are kissing-ass of the rich and doing their job on the side. I got the vibe that she was Boris's daughter anyways, so that might even have something to do with it -- she's someone that would have the pedigree to deal with the rich, but the heart to deal with the poor.

Edited by jopatura, Jun 5, 2009 @ 3:30 AM.

[magicdog]

The show seems to have promise so I'll definitely tune in again to see how it follows up.

Like many of you I got annoyed by Hank's constant whining about how he's not a concierge doc, not staying in The Hamptons, blah blah, blah. As if he had better options. Like the Hamptons - word in the medical community is swift and he probably would have been blackballed by most major hospitals anyway (despite the events leading to his dismissal wasn't entirely his fault). Hank was getting business and obscene amounts of money under the table (among other perks) and yet he kept trying to run away from it! To quote Evan, "Imagined if we TRIED!"

I think they need to tone Hank's brother down a little bit because he was really grating on my nerves by the end of the episode.

Agreed. Did he have to be such a total tool?

Was it really necessary to give the main character a ne'er-do-well same-gender sibling?

ITA. The character probably could have gone solo or have the occasional "best bud" who would hang on to his coattails for the summer, but it would have been nice if Evan had been rather successful in his own right. When I saw the previews I thought maybe his brother invited him to HIS place in the Hamptons (ie. just moved in, not part of the social set yet, etc.).

Am a bit concerned about Divya. I like her as someone who wants to help support Hank as his PA, but after that phone call from her parents harping about her attending a polo match - I kept thinking, "Oh great! Another 'Poor Little Rich Girl' who wants to be so much more" character. That could get old fast.

I'm also curious as to what Boris will turn out to be? Russian mobster no doubt! Who else pays for medical services with a bar of gold! (Hold on to that Hank - in case the economy bottoms out completely!). I'm also wondering what the previous doctor warned Hank about.... hmmmm.