Nurse Jackie

Channel: Ten
Day & time*: Sunday, 10.30 p.m.
(*as at October 2009)

 

Nursing mutha

Medical dramas are back in a big way. Not that they really ever went away, I guess; it’s just that – like cop shows and lawyer shows – they go through cycles. While the likes of Grey’s Anatomy may have faded from view, our own All Saints was chugging along steadily. And now it seems the cycle is about to start again with new medical shows seemingly premiering every week.

The Ten network have pinned their hopes – albeit somewhat reservedly – on Nurse Jackie, a carefully blended melange of medical procedural, melodrama and comedy. It helps the show enormously that its star is none other than Edie Falco, she of The Sopranos, who brings not just a touch of class to the production, but most likely a ready-made audience as well.

Falco, naturally, plays the title character, Jackie Peyton, an experienced nurse at a large New York hospital, coincidentally called All Saints. As seems to be all the scriptwriting rage these days (see Seven’s Mercy for another example), she knows way more about medicine than the wet-behind-the-ears doctors who stumble onto her floor with their arrogance and expensive shirts. This breeds clashes over treatment, which the hot-headed Jackie never shies away from.

There is, of course, more to her than meets the eye. For starters, she has a bad back (the kiss of death for a nursing career, we’re told in the pilot) which she covers up by popping several pills per shift – a plot device lifted from another medical drama, House. She’s also having an affair with pharmacist Eddie Walzer (Paul Schulze), something she’s careful to keep from her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa). She seems to care deeply for both men; but she has her own reasons for what she does.

At the hospital itself, she divides her time between philosophical discussions with co-worker Mo-Mo (Haaz Slieman), trying to keep fledgling nurse Zoey (Merrit Wever) out of trouble and trying to help her patients.

I mentioned earlier that the show has a sprinkling of comedy; but it’s worth noting that comedy tends to have a rather dark edge. Much of it comes from Jackie herself, with her rapid repartee and barbed quips providing most of the smiles.

In fact, Falco provides much of the dramatic impetus for the entire series with an enduring and memorable performance. She appears in virtually every scene, but she gives Jackie a combination of hard head and soft heart that ensures you can never grow tired of her.

Two of the executive producers of the show are Caryn Mandabach and Linda Wallem, who previously worked together on the very successful That 70s Show. This, as you may have gathered, is a very different kettle of fish to that breezy comedy; but you’d have to think they would have a fair idea of what makes a show work. They also pull writing duties here, supporting newbie Liz Brixius; and the writing is pretty good. Certainly, the scenario provides virtually endless possibilities for talented writers, which augurs well for the show’s longevity.

The $64 question however is whether it will last here. Channel Ten haven’t exactly done Falco and co any favours by slotting the show in a late Sunday night timeslot. With the show’s very adult themes and a fair dab of that “coarse language”, this was always going to be a late-night (i.e. after 9 p.m.) proposition; but 10.30 p.m. (or later) on a Sunday night is a bit rich.

The new ratings season will bring plenty of new offerings, but Nurse Jackie has what it takes to be a contender among them. If you have a penchant for a bit of hard edge in your TV, and you’re willing to be up late on a ‘school’ night, then this is definitely worth your time.

Phil James