Mercy's Jamie Lee Kirchner takes Mr. Media for a hospital tour, stat!

By BOB ANDELMAN

Reports of the death of the TV hospital drama—foretold by the end of "ER" last season after 27 years on the air—were apparently premature.

Showtime has "Nurse Jackie"; TNT has "HawthoRNe" and NBC is back with a new one that adds an "M," a "C" and a "Y" to "E" and "R" and that gives us "Mercy." (Oh, stop groaning—you saw that one coming a mile away.) ("Mercy" Website)

But alert Nurse Hathaway! In this network show, the nurses—not the doctors—are running the asylum. Starring Taylor Schilling, Michelle Tractenberg and my guest today, Jamie Lee Kirchner, "Mercy" lets viewers know who's really in charge on the floors.

"Mercy" airs every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on NBC.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "It's a friendship show. It's like 'Sex and the City' with cheaper footwear. There's a lot of comedy; just when you think you know who these people are, they make a hard left turn." 

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Copyright 2010 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Dario Scardapane, TRAUMA NBC TV show creator: Mr. Media Radio Interview

 Cliff Curtis and Aimee Garcia star in NBC's "Trauma," Mondays at 9 p.m.

By BOB ANDELMAN

From what I’ve read, the opening 10 minutes of the NBC drama “Trauma”—and say that five times fast—is the greatest introduction to a TV show ever. It cures cancer, tames global warming and reveals the secrets behind “Lost.”

Okay, maybe it doesn’t do the last thing, but still!

Seriously, NBC has had great success with emergency medicine shows going back to “Emergency!”—the one with the exclamation point—and, of course, the long-running “ER.”

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I keep hearing, 'Okay, that's a pretty amazing way to start things. How are you going to keep up with it week after week?'  Television isn't the realm of the timid. Setting the bar really, really high for yourself... I embrace it."

Dario Scardapane is the creator and executive producer of “Trauma,” which, all; kidding aside, is one of the most talked about dramas of the new TV season. And Scardapane brings an unusual background to this show. Instead of being a Hollywood set rat, he’s a former journalist who has worked at Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Details and US Magazine.



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You can LISTEN to this interview with DARIO SCARDAPANE, creator and executive producer of the NBC drama "TRAUMA," by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!