Code Black "Pilot" Series Premiere

Code Black is one of the most interesting new series of the season. It's a medical drama that sets itself pretty close to ER.

The series takes place in an LA hospital that sees more patients yearly than any other in the country and goes code black 300 times out of the year. Marcia Gay Harden plays the hard-headed, strong-witted Dr. Leanne Rorish, the ER residency director. Rorish might be a tough-as-nails doctor, but she has a heart, cares for each patient that comes through their door and tells the truth to everyone without throwing in the white lies to give anyone hope.

The cast is unbelievably good. Raza Jaffrey is Dr. Neal Hudson, the doctor who has issues with the way Rorish treats patients and medical residents as well. They might have some beef with one another, but they always respect each other, and maybe if this series could go far enough, perhaps these two could be an item.

Out of the rest of the cast, Luis Guzman is one of the best-supporting characters as nurse Jesse Salander, who manages the residents and is known as their mamma. In the pilot, the first scene comes of him introducing himself and the hospital to the new residents. It felt like Dr. Benton giving Dr. Carter the lay of the land in the pilot episode of ER.

The medical cases are suitable. I don't think the medical stories will be a massive issue in my book. I couldn't get enough of some of the stories from the older man who suffered a stroke and the teenager who fell and broke his arm, which turned out he suffered from a head injury. Bonnie Somerville's character, Christa Lorenson, saves a pregnant patient from Carbon Monoxide.

It's been a long time since ER and House that I've watched a medical drama. I don't consider Grey's to be a medical drama but more of a prime-time version of General Hospital. And I do not doubt that Code Black is a tremendous series with good writing and outstanding characters. Harden is outstanding.

Overall, I give the pilot an 8.5/10.  

You can catch Code Black on Tuesday nights at 10/9c on CBS.