Red Band Society

I wasn't sure what to expect so I had no opinions going in. I was pleasantly surprised by the show overall. The cast (with exception of cheerleader actress) all seem good and a few are really great! Love the nurse & the doctor & the eccentric rich guy! The kids do a good job of being real and sweet, while also being kids (and all that entails). I like the angle with the coma guy - its an interesting way they approach it. I think this is one of those shows that will only get better and better as the series runs along and the actors get to know each other and develop their characters more. I found it to be really charming! I like that it isn't too fast paced with stupid extras like weird camera tricks and things that so many other shows rely heavily on these days. The script and the acting/directing, etc. carry the show fine on their own. I cant wait to see next weeks - I will be adding this one to my TV lineup. Recommended to people who like shows with heart and substance, over those with action & scary junk.

My wife recorded this show, much like she always does for any new show appearing in the fall lineup. I'll admit to being a little dubious about it, but decided to give it a shot. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The premise is certainly different from most other TV series. The writing is outstanding and the characters are endearing. I always enjoy seeing people from diverse backgrounds bonding with each other. If I were to liken this show to anything else I've seen I'd have to call it "Breakfast Club in a Hospital." I will certainly continue watching Red Band Society and hope it remains as good, if not better, than it started out. Congratulations Fox, you've got a winner here!

Wasn't sure what to expect and was extremely surprised. I found this show amazing. I never thought about people living in hospitals, it gave me a whole new perspective. Anyway I loved it. It's fresh and original. Characters are entertaining. Octavia Spencer is someone I aspire to be. It's going to be nice to see how the show evolves. Think this may become or at least hope it becomes a new favorite. Time for something different. It's not depressing, at least not to be. It's an eye opener. Hope it's around long enough to mature. Now in just going to ramble because review has to be at least 10 lines. Not sure why that's the minimum when you can write a review in less.

The show has a couple decent enough characters to keep me invested and it's different enough to keep me watching but it's got a lot of grating qualities too.

The show's set up, as a breakfast club of sorts, is problematic for the TV show format as hospitals are very temporary places. In fact, I'll go far enough on a limb to say, that this is the worst idea for a TV show when a movie would be so much better with this premise.

In the pilot, Leo gives a speech to the group about how they're all united by their illnesses (and obviously being in the hospital on the same date) and must wear red bands in solidarity. So as a result, we're actively rooting for people to stay sick and hospital bills to go through the roof. This is probably a health care reform opponent's nightmare scenario: That as soon as we start being generous with free health care, kids will start living in the hospital.

The band leader of the group is the soft, sensitive Leo, who is as close to the manic pixie dream guy I've ever seen. It seems like everyone from Emma (a broadly drawn stereotype of an arty kid with her trademark fedora), to Dash who man-crushes on him pretty heavily, to the nurses, is inexplicably drawn to him.

The show also heightens the romance angle a little too much and it's moderately disappointing that their choosing to make romances happen with the adults. The British quack doctor is naturally attracted to the only other black woman on the show as if it's simply not OK to have unattached characters. Likewise, the handsome doctor claims to be bad with women even though but has bedded every character he's set his eyes on.

For some reason, the show (because of the novelty factor and a few strong performances) is still watchable and there might be a range of opinions on how people respond to these characters.

This show caught me off guard. I recorded it just in case. i almost deleted it in the first couple minutes; but i let it go. And I'm very happy I did. I'm and old critical care and than ER RN; and I never liked working with kids. Mostly because of the parents. I was leery of it because I thought they were going to turn it into just a sob fest. But I was pleasantly surprised. It has an interesting way of telling the story; namely using the voice of a young boy in a coma who shares a room with another pt.. The medical story line not very well done; but hopefully they'll get better at that. For the most part it remains fun. It's just hard for me to watch them have a surgeon pushing a patients cart that's taking him to surgery. This never happens. I'm a big fan of Octavia Spencer but they have her giving orders for things that a doctors orders are necessary for. And she even runs a code that no doctor even showed up for. But these are relatively minor; the facts are this is a well written and acted show. I'll be watching more.