MDs

I think that MDs could become a great show as the season goes on. There are some great characters and situations, interesting dialogue and the classic suspense of a medical drama with a touch of comedy. The only draw back I see is the strong similarity to M*A*S*H. I am a huge M*A*S*H fan and was constantly noting small (and sometimes not so small) parallels. I hope that this fact isn't intentional and that it doesn't hinder the potential of this new show.

Quick wits, sarcastic comments and a battle- the Dr.s and patients: versus the system- streamline this beautifully written drama. Two Doctors, Kellerman, head of the Cardio-Thoracic, and Dalgety, a Trauma Surgeon, will do anything to help their patients, much to the dismay of the greedy runners of the hospital. This is mix of ER, but not as dramatic and way more serious than Scrubs. Many people go on about not needing another Hospital series, but this is more than that. And different. MDs is in a category all of its own. It's a perfect show for everyone.

Watching the premiere of this show, I couldn't help but get a feeling of déja vu. Although it's set in a modern city hospital, MDs borrows liberally from the spirit of "M*A*S*H" (1972).

Drs. Kellerman and Dalgety are skilled doctors--among the best in their fields--employed by a hospital that is being squeezed by the HMOs. It is this clash which most strongly recalls M*A*S*H; instead of fighting the Army, these doctors are fighting the administrators and insurance auditors. The pilot wasn't nearly as irreverant as M*A*S*H got (especially not the movie), although it did feature such hilarious touches as an autopsy performed on a live patient, and a hospital director who can't stand the sight of blood.

Walking the line between the melodrama of "ER" (1994) and the inanity of "Scrubs" (2001), MDs has a lot of promise--and big shoes to fill.

I thought this was a very interesting show. Unfortunately, it was jerked around to different times, and was skipped some weeks, so it was tough to follow it. It's kind of hard to build a viewership for a show when viewers can't find it.

It's too bad it didn't get more of a chance. I feel it had a feeling much like the old M*A*S*H TV series. Two doctors just trying to do what was right, even if it sometimes ran afoul of their higher ups.

In the biggest sense, this was just another failed dysfunctional-hospital drama. It could never gain any traction on distinguishing itself from other medical dramas. There wasn't a McDreamy, or a bitter Brit know-it-all. However it did have some good actors. William Fichter is solid as usual. You got Jane Lynch, Robert Joy, John Hannah, and Michaela Conlin as the naive rookie Dr Yang that we're supposed to root for.

These are all stock characters. There wasn't anything wrong with the show. The central premise is a continuous battle between the doctors trying to treat patients and the bureaucratic administrators working the numbers. It's just that there wasn't anything original to make it stand out and it did not get the numbers that the network wanted.