It’s important that you understand from the beginning, that I hate medical dramas. The last medical television show that I watch, and remember enjoying, was Trapper John M.D. and I was only 10 years old and had no idea what good television was at the time. Even E.R. never did it for me, despite my minor man-crush on George Clooney. Keeping all of this in mind, when I received a screener for the pilot episode of the new USA Network medical drama Royal Pains, starring Mark Feuerstein , I was less than enthusiastic to give the show a chance. In fact, the only reasons that I watched it at all was because it was on USA, the only network in recent years to successfully brand themselves, and the fact that the show was going to be paired with one of my favorites, Burn Notice. By the end of the two hour pilot I was converted one hundred percent. Despite all the hype, this is the best medical drama I can remember seeing on television…ever; mainly because it’s not a medical drama. It’s a character drama that just happens to be about a doctor.
Royal Pains is about 30ish year old emergency room doctor, Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), who is at the top of his game. He’s engaged to a beautiful woman and one of the most brilliant doctors at his hospital. But when Hank decides to put the life of a neighborhood kid above a 68 year old billionaire hospital donor, Hank is abruptly fired from his Brooklyn hospital and black-listed so that he can’t work in New York again. His fiance leaves him and he spends some time wallowing in his own self pitty before his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) convinces him to take a weekend trip to the Hamptons with him. Before Hank knows it he’s in high demand as the Hampton’s newest and most talked about “concierge doctor” (a personal doctor to the rich), a career path that Hank has no interest in following. His brother Evan and physician’s assistant Divya (Reshma Shetty) attempt to pull him in the right direction, for their own motives as well as Hank’s well-being, but it is a local hospital administrator Jill that ends up with the most influence over Hank.
USA Network excels at television dramas that are not only character driven, but bend the mold of most conventional network dramas. This network has been successful at giving well written series with multi-dimensional characters that still manage to not only be funny but also hip and fun to watch. Royal Pains fits into this mold as well, if not better than every other series on USA currently.
The acting from Mark Feuerstein is top notch, and he manages to play the morally and ethically straight Hank to perfection, without ever making us feel as though Hank is a goodie-two-shoes or thinks he’s better than anyone else. In the medical scenes you’ve never scene anyone as cool under pressure as Hank Lawson (except maybe Michael Westin) and his Macguyver-like medical skills add one of the more fun elements to the show. In one scene he can be heard saying, “Okay, I need a bottle of vodka, a very sharp, pointed knife, a bic pen, a sandwich baggy and some duct tape.” This is said before he does an emergency procedure on the living room floor of a billionaire’s house. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Hank’s brother Evan is a C.P.A. who lives life to its fullest and acts on instinct without thinking, which is basically the complete opposite of Hank. The chemistry between Paulo Costanzo and Mark Feuerstein is fantastic and you don’t doubt for a second that these two men are brothers who grew up with a very different view from the same childhood experiences. I also enjoy Paulo’s very improve-type style (I’m not saying he’s making up the script as he goes, but he sure does a great job at making it feel that way, which is good in this case).
Royal Pains is a good modern series about today’s healthcare system because it does a good job at addressing the stereotypes of the rich as well as the poor who need treatment. Hank’s predicament has an obvious irony to it, being that his perfect life was ruined because he chose to save a young kid and let a wealthy older man die in the process, and now he’s in the Hampton’s saving the lives of the very same rich people that destroyed him. But Hank starts to learn quickly that not only are the rich a bit misunderstood on occasion, but that he might also be able to filter his success in helping the wealthy into a way to also help the poor with a healthcare system that is faltering them.
The supporting cast is fabulous as well, and even features the always fabulous Campbell Scott as the mysterious Boris, a German Billionaire that serves as a sort of Robin Masters to Hank’s Magnum PI (if you’re too young to get that reference, just wait and watch the pilot). Also worthy of mentioning are the great visual elements of the show and the cinematography and music. If you’ve ever seen Burn Notice, you’ll have a sense of familiarity to the way in which Royal Pains transitions between shots and gives you lots of great exterior shots of the Hampton’s which are accompanied by some great music both old an new including Rooney and even the Ting Tings.
Royal Pains premieres next Thursday, June 2 immediately following the season 3 kick-off of Burn Notice. Pains will begin at 10/9 c. Be sure to tune in, or at the very least set your DVRs to record the show, because you don’t want to miss this one. It has the potential to remind us that good television doesn’t have to end when the summer arrives. Thanks to the USA Network, Burn Notice, and now Royal Pains, you can get all your tv needs in the summer, and even on the same night!
Follow Us
I'm very sorry to hear that finding one little misspelled word ruined a whole article for you. But at least it gave you a laugh. Laughing is healthy, right?
As for the advertisement part of it, I don't really disagree with you. However, I am a huge fan of this show after seeing only the pilot, and I do want it to succeed and get renewed so I can enjoy it more. So in that respect, sure, it was an advertisement, but still one written by me and based on my own opinions and thoughts of the show. But none of that really matters, because you said you agree 100%, which means you liked it too. Which is really the point. :)
Just don't forget to enter our Royal Pains contest giveaway.
https://tvovermind.com/exclude/contests/contes…
As much as I agree 100%, as soon as I read the word "enfluence" it made me laugh and ruined the rest of the article for me. That being said the rest of the article read like a strait up advertisement.
"a strait up advertisement."
A strait is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. So are you describing the article as a channel of water connecting an unnamed body of water to one named "Advertisement"? Because if you are, your metaphor is eluding me.
As much as I agree 100%, as soon as I read the word “enfluence” it made me laugh and ruined the rest of the article for me. That being said the rest of the article read like a strait up advertisement.
“a strait up advertisement.”
A strait is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. So are you describing the article as a channel of water connecting an unnamed body of water to one named “Advertisement”? Because if you are, your metaphor is eluding me.
I'm very sorry to hear that finding one little misspelled word ruined a whole article for you. But at least it gave you a laugh. Laughing is healthy, right?
As for the advertisement part of it, I don't really disagree with you. However, I am a huge fan of this show after seeing only the pilot, and I do want it to succeed and get renewed so I can enjoy it more. So in that respect, sure, it was an advertisement, but still one written by me and based on my own opinions and thoughts of the show. But none of that really matters, because you said you agree 100%, which means you liked it too. Which is really the point. :)
Just don't forget to enter our Royal Pains contest giveaway.
https://tvovermind.com/exclude/contests/contes…
So, tehf00, while we are discussing grammar: can you please explain to me why you laughed at "enfluence" if you agree with it 100%? That conjures a pretty strange image. While we're nitpicking, you misspelled straight as "strait."
So, tehf00, while we are discussing grammar: can you please explain to me why you laughed at “enfluence” if you agree with it 100%? That conjures a pretty strange image. While we’re nitpicking, you misspelled straight as “strait.”
I loved Royal Pains!!!! Can't wait for the next one!!!
Very glad to hear that you liked it Nancy. We've gotta get people watching this show! :)
I loved Royal Pains!!!! Can’t wait for the next one!!!
Very glad to hear that you liked it Nancy. We’ve gotta get people watching this show! :)
does anyone know where i can find who does the songs from the pilot?
does anyone know where i can find who does the songs from the pilot?
Seems USA has done it again: creating a like-able character who will develop over the the short summer and provide us with casual entertainment that FOX and other Networks keep canceling during regular season.
I like the love triangle (square? pentagon?) between pretty much all the characters just off the pilot. However it's pretty clear by the promotional pics and the end of the pilot who the main focus characters will be, so I'm looking forward to some simple-to-follow entertaining show over summer; which happens to be about a medical doctor.
Seems USA has done it again: creating a like-able character who will develop over the the short summer and provide us with casual entertainment that FOX and other Networks keep canceling during regular season.
I like the love triangle (square? pentagon?) between pretty much all the characters just off the pilot. However it’s pretty clear by the promotional pics and the end of the pilot who the main focus characters will be, so I’m looking forward to some simple-to-follow entertaining show over summer; which happens to be about a medical doctor.
I like the show…but does anyone else feel like they're watching "Burn Notice" with different characters but the same basic situation?
I definitely get the "Burn Notice" vibe on this show, but its different enough, in my opinion, to be nothing more than a vibe, or a style. But, the two shows do share an executive producer, so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it.
I like the show…but does anyone else feel like they’re watching “Burn Notice” with different characters but the same basic situation?
I definitely get the “Burn Notice” vibe on this show, but its different enough, in my opinion, to be nothing more than a vibe, or a style. But, the two shows do share an executive producer, so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.
I watched all episodes and found "Royal Pains" to be very entertaining. Being a medical professional I first thought that this was just another stint at the show ER, but was pleasantly wrong. The medical problems that are dealt with are real life type issues, with real medical factual solutions, which keeps me even more interested in the show. Can't wait for season 2.
I watched all episodes and found “Royal Pains” to be very entertaining. Being a medical professional I first thought that this was just another stint at the show ER, but was pleasantly wrong. The medical problems that are dealt with are real life type issues, with real medical factual solutions, which keeps me even more interested in the show. Can’t wait for season 2.