Interns

Couldn't disagree more with the previous reviewer. Unlike ma femme francophone, I can't really follow the rapid, slangy dialogue, replete with medical terms and acronyms, and I know I miss a lot by having to read the captions. Nevertheless, we gobbled up four eps at a sitting and are eager to watch the rest. The attractive cast gives uniformly strong performances, and though the show's premise may seem contrived--interns up against it after the doctors in their wing, who've been exposed to an unknown "tropical infection," have been quarantined--it all plays out very well. This first season is built around a series of newbie screwups and deliberate deceptions (the latter by a veteran fourth-year played by gorgeous Louise Bourgoin ("The Romanoffs")) that results in a patient's death; intriguing and suspenseful medical, ethical and political complications ensue.

Some aspects of French hospital culture, notably the risqué murals and dude-bro antics in the staff cafeteria, may seem bizarre, others (assuming they're accurately portrayed) quite refreshing--the nurses and interns are patient and attentive, the patients surprisingly cheerful and compliant, e.g., not chippy and obstreperous like their real-world US counterparts have been known to be on occasion.... (OTOH, I didn't see a complimentary TV in anyone's room. C'est-ce que c'est que cette connerie putain?!)

I see S2's been out for a couple of years and has yet to be picked up by Masterpiece, btw. If you see Alan Cumming or Laura Linney, you might mention it to them...