‘Hartklop’ doesn’t miss a beat with its gripping story arcs

I COULDN’T help but feel like Hartklop is Mzansi’s response to Shonda Rhimes’s award-winning medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy.

And, no, this isn’t a dig at the new show on kyknet but rather a compliment. After all, while the South African TV landscape is laden with offerings that lean towards comedy, crime thrillers and or romance, medical dramas aren’t on that list.

So for that, kudos to the channel and Quizzical Pictures for delivering a show that viewers are invested, in thanks to the stellar casting and layered character development.

It’s set in a fictional world, where the staff at Beyers Naudé Academic Hospital deal with the patients that come through their doors.

But while they are passionate about what they do, personal challenges are stitched into the fabric of their professional lives.

The key characters include Dr Veronica Pietersen (Renate Stuurman), who is shouldering the weight of running the household at home with her husband having lost his job), and Dr Suzanne de Jongh (Marlee van der Merwe).

Then there is Dr Jolene Joubert (Leandie du Randt), Dr Louw van Onselen (David Louw) and Dr Daniel Strydom (Jacques Bessenger). All are dealing with personal setbacks, which they try not to wear on their sleeves.

This brings us to the first-year residents: Dr Karima Salie (Carla Classen), who wants to move past her conservative background and is quite the spitfire; her BFF Dr Elanie Breytenbach (Simoné Pretorius), who, despite being born with a silver spoon, pulls her weight; and Dr Fezile Nodada (Oros Mampofu), who doesn’t speak Afrikaans but does understand the language and is pretty sharp when it comes to making a diagnosis.

That’s not forgetting Anke Dempsey (Christel van den Bergh), a highly skilled nurse in the emergency unit, who doesn’t suffer fools easily.

Of the two episodes I got to watch, I was drawn into the storyline. The writers ensured each character had depth.

is a sincere, heart-warming and entertaining drama.