The Clinic

This isn't for everybody. Too many viewers (drowning in American slick slop) will need a cheaper fix. But for those who understand how a quality soap is made, it is close to heaven.

The acting is universally good, even great at times. The direction shows competence even when the script occasionally slows. But the scriptwriters do a superb job: never preaching, always entertaining.

Ireland thank you. It's not Wilde, but it's not supposed to be. And I have fallen in love with almost every character - beautiful, sad and wicked - just because they are so believable.

I have never before watched a medical soap which practically makes you feel like a voyeur in a real life clinic. Of course, reality would be unwatchable. The Clinic is sometimes mesmerising.

The first several seasons of this show really reeled me in but I really wish there had been a warning that the series ends abruptly in season 7 with TONS of loose ends that need tying up, including 2 main characters who might or might not be dead!! I should've guessed it would end this way when so many other characters starting leaving after a couple of seasons, with weak excuses or zero explanations. I wish I hadn't gotten so wrapped-up in staying with this one after the first few seasons. LET THIS BE YOUR WARNING!!

However, if that's not a problem for you, there are some really good performances from some known (as well as some unknown to American audiences) Irish actors/actresses. I was delighted see a very young Chris O'Dowd and, later on a very young Aidan Turner who both showed great promise in their early acting roles which we've seen grow to fruition through the years. The series is more of a soap-opera-type drama than strictly a medical drama so it attracts viewers of both types of shows.

This has been such a really good series. Considering it was made many years ago it's kept me entertained for hours on end and the acting has been exceptional and the storylines have been really good too.

I've watched all 7 of the series it's so good and it's such a shame the plug was pulled on it when it was. I'm sure alot of people out here really need closure on this. Please can the writers not just write 1 more episode or 2 just to give closure to the many questions that have been raised in the final episode alone. We really need answers to them.please,please,please, please consider this review.

I discovered The Clinic online and watched the first two seasons. Season 2 ends with a major emotional cliff-hanger. I'd really like to see the other 5 seasons and wish they would make them available in some form or other. As another reviewer noted this show is about the personal relationships of the workers within a clinic in Ireland. The clinic is in a large old home that has been purchased by a fairly young couple who are doctors (Ed and Cathy). Dr. Ed was an assistant to an older doctor who ran the practice previously and he and his wife bought out the business and the old house when the older doctor passed away. However, the original doctor's widow still lives in the basement while the new couple lives in the upstairs flat, which is only one source of tension within the clinic. The other staff vary's a little from season to season, but there is another GP, a physical therapist, a counselor (who at some point or other gets to hear the problems of all his co- workers whether he likes it or not), a gay male nurse, a plastic surgeon, a financial controller (played by Chris O'Dowd who I had previously seen in the comedy series, The IT Crowd), and several female office workers. The clinic staff often socializes in the local pub which also helps to create some occasions for office romances and inappropriate relationships springing up which sets up some very dramatic and occasionally comedic situations.

An Irish series that originally ran from 2003 to 2009, this is a solid drama elevated by outstanding performances by the two leads, Dominic Mafham and Aisling O'Sullivan. Gary Lydon should also be called out for his portrayal of sad sack resident counselor, Patrick.

The Clinic is the Clarence Street Clinic in Dublin, a multi-disciplinary medical practice, with everything from physiotherapy to homeopathy. Owner general practitioners Cathy and Ed Costello struggle to keep the practice and their marriage afloat. Plots focus on patients and clinic employees in a semi-serialized manner.

O'Sullivan is Cathy, the co-founder and driving force behind the business. She must deal with the conflicts between being a good doctor, a successful business owner, and a good wife. Will something have to give? Meanwhile, her husband Ed would rather just focus on the good doctoring. It doesn't help that Cathy's domineering father, who disdains Ed, owns one-third of the clinic.

Into their lives comes Mafham as Dan Woodhouse, the character you love to hate who never met a consonant he couldn't overpronounce. Dan is an English plastic surgeon taking up an office in the clinic. While his tummy tucks and Botox injections are good for the bottom line, the rest of the staff tend to dismiss his work as frivolous and not real doctoring. His arrogant nature doesn't help.

Most of the characters are likable and evolve over the course of the entire series. As with any long-running show, some characters disappear or are written off, which can be jarring. The plots are mostly ones we've seen before, including many romantic liaisons, but are usually executed well enough to keep your interest. The show is also an interesting look into the Celtic Tiger years in Ireland, prior to the 2008 recession (the last series broadcast in 2009 reflects on this).

I found this show extremely addictive; most series end with a major cliffhanger. Luckily, as of this writing, all seven series are available in the US via AcornTV's streaming service (www.acorn.tv), so you can go immediately from the cliffhangers to the next episode.

An eight for the show's addictive nature, and for the performances of Mafham, O'Sullivan, and Lydon.