JeremyNortham.net

“I’m here to live.”

So replies the mysterious Dr. Proctor when a young resident asks “Why are you here?”

And living is the driving force in this new, fast-moving medical drama.

Miami Medical showcases a high-level trauma hospital where gifted, courageous, and sometimes irreverent surgeons work to pull trauma victims back from the brink and give them a second chance at life.

As in real life, some patients live and others perish.

These are stories worth telling. Anyone who’s received the dreaded call to get to the hospital ASAP and arrived with their heart in their mouth knows how quickly their world is up-ended when a traumatic incident affects a loved one. The most ordinary, banal day instantly becomes fraught with urgency, worry, fear, and anguish. And they look to the remarkable trauma surgeons to pull off a modern miracle to save those they love.

The new medical drama looks at the personal lives of these highly skilled doctors as well as those they are trying to save, all set amid the context of cutting-edge medicine and surgery. It’s a tricky combination in such a fast-paced show, but Miami Medical just might be able to carry it off.

The series shows great promise. The explosion/accident launching the story is realistic without being gratuitous. Lana Parrilla and Mike Vogel demonstrate great chemistry together. Omar Gooding makes a believable charge nurse – calm, commanding, and compassionate. We’re forced to wait a full 20 minutes before Jeremy Northam’s Dr. Proctor appears, but it is well worth the wait. Northam turns in a compelling performance as new doc on the team and he grounds every scene he’s in.

Northam’s gentle little scenes with the hand victim reveal a character possessing a self-assured, quiet confidence as well as a dry wit and a kind spirit. His character arrives wrapped in a bit of mystery so it will be interesting to see his story unfold.

It’s not unusual for pilots to start off a bit shaky and that’s certainly the case here. All the explanation and ground-work dialogue get a bit wearisome and the exit of the top surgeon is completely unbelievable, no matter how much they try to explain his behaviour later. And Mike Vogel as Dr. Deleo is forced to say some corny lines (“Tell him he can put it on my credit card”), making him come across as a bit immature, especially for a trauma surgeon.

That said, Miami Medical does the job in delivering solid, compelling entertainment. Promos for the second show look intriguing and seem to (wisely) center on Northam’s Dr. Proctor.

Miami Medical drew more viewers the evening it premiered than any other show. Although a lot of professional critics seem to predict an early demise, CBS may just have a solid hit on their hands.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Reviewed by Anne for JeremyNortham.net.