It has been a hard several years for the launching of new medical shows. With the success of shows like “Scrubs,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House” raising the bar on high quality production and tension filled plotlines in the medical genre, smaller shows like “Three Rivers,” “Emily Owens M.D.” and “A Gifted Man” have only lasted for one season, despite their potential to continue.
While all three of the above mentioned short-lived medical shows had plenty of good mixed with a little bit of bad, I was sad to see that “A Gifted Man” wasn’t getting a second season.
“A Gifted Man” follows the egotistic, competitive neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson), as he tries to balance working between his private practice and his recently deceased ex-wife’s free clinic.
Dr. Holt begins receiving visits from his ex-wife, Anna Paul (Jennifer Ehle), after she was killed from being hit by a car. It is through her request that he helps with the free clinic she operated in New York City and he became an integrated part in the clinic’s continuing success.
Patrick Wilson is at his best in this show. The dynamic between the character’s work as a doctor while also appearing as a crazy person during conversations with Anna, who likes to show up at inopportune moments, is perfectly executed by Wilson and really makes the show something you want to invest in. The supporting characters are fantastic as well, which speaks to the clever writing of the show.
What “A Gifted Man” has different from other medical shows is the portrayal of the inner workings of a free family clinic that caters to a variety of ethnic patients who don’t have the insurance to pay for medical bills. Since many medical shows revolve around either a hospital or a private practice, this setting is a breath of fresh air and a completely different look into the field of medicine — at least when it comes to pop culture.
This show is not, however, up to as high a caliber as “Grey’s Anatomy” by any means, which seems to be the modern standard of comparison when a medical show is considered for renewal. The sad thing, is that “A Gifted Man” could have so much more potential if it were given the chance at a second season.
If anything, it is worth checking out the show just to see Patrick Wilson take on the role of a bad ass doctor with a twinge of crazy.
Emily Vaartstra
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