USA TODAY International Edition
Frenetic ‘ Code Black’ still needs a jolt of creativity
Consider it Code Black’s bad luck: Had NBC’s competing medical show Heartbreaker premiered this fall, as originally planned, it would have just barely bumped
Black as the season’s worst new drama. Alas, Heartbreaker was delayed — leaving this CBS offering to claim the title. With ABC’s Grey’s
Anatomy aging, the time would seem ripe for a new medical show. And so you get Heartbreaker, which is
Grey’s on speed — and Black, which is Grey’s on Geritol.
Oh, it looks lively enough: The show’s filmed with quick cuts, trick lighting and weirdly cropped shots that leave characters talking out of the frame. But listen to what they’re saying, and you might as well be watching a repeat of Ben Casey.
We’re in the world’s busiest emergency room, a place that frequently gets so many patients at once that there aren’t enough resources to treat them — forcing the staff to call a “Code Black.” Since that would seem to be a result of belt- tightening, you’d think all involved would see “coding” as a bad thing, or at least a reason for the four new residents to rethink their employment choice. And yet the staff seems to treat it as a badge of honor.
Our guide through this chaos is a tough know- it- all nurse ( Luis Guzmán) who, for reasons that are not yet explained, refers to himself as “Mama” and to the equally tough Residency Director, Dr. Rorish ( Marcia Gay Harden), as “Daddy.” Rorish is another of those TV doctors with a tragic past who just cares too darn much to abide by the rules or practice social graces. And yes, that brings her into conflict with the equally dedicated doctor ( Raza Jaffrey) who thinks rules and manners are important. (” You’re the doctor they want,” Rorish sneers at him. “I’m the doctor they need.”)
In Wednesday’s premiere, Rorish is fighting to find a transplantable heart while dealing with a set of new residents, including a woman ( Bonnie Somerville) whose age is both a topic of conversation and a plot point.
There’s a lot of running and shouting, as the “Codes” work their way up the color ladder and patients work their way into “Center Stage.” Yet everything comes to a dead stop as what seems like the entire staff pauses to listen to the birth of a baby, which may help explain why they’re continually falling behind.
You’ll find some fine actors here along with some whose continued employment may strike you as a mystery. Not that it matters much: Dr. Zorba returned from the dead would not have been able to breathe life into this stiff. And if that’s a very old reference, consider it code.