Code Black

The mix of characters in this night's episode was tremendous! I was on the edge of my seat the whole episode, and I also alternated between laughter and tears of happiness for the characters who found truth, worth, focus, and love all in one hour. The whole cast should be commended.

This was an excellent show. The acting was terrific. There were no "red shirt" medical staffers. Well established characters died, when scripts called for it.

This show didn't disappoint. CBS did disappoint. This show was poorly supported, under promoted, and was given limited numbers of episodes. Finding this show was tough. There was a long time between show runs. In 2016 it ended the fall season after thirteen weeks. In 2017, at the fall season it didn't show up, it was late into the tv year before CBS announced it would be a summer series. Shortly after making it's long awaited premiere CBS announced it was cancelled. By June 2018 plot synopses were already listed in IMDB.

While it was on we met medical staff of Angels Memorial Hospital, a teaching hospital. We met newly minted doctors and a barrage of patients. Rapid changes in staffing, politics, power and money kept things off keel. Like life, people came and went, brining their needs and talents both with them. Constants were grizzled Nurse Jesse, the man called mama, and fiercely compassionate Dr. LeAnn Rorish, who by default was known as daddy. (Mostly to mama, others did not address her as such.

I'm going to miss this show.

I have to add one thing to this review, being that I worked at the hospital that this show is based on. I'm a nurse, and I don't watch medical TV shows as I find them to be Sci-fi in genre. There are a select few, but Code Black is a show that is bringing us good, bad, ugly, beautiful, horror and on of the life and emotions of those working TOGETHER in a big city ER. The cast, who at first seems odd, blends beautifully together to form a team. All these reviews have said it. Just another 10 stat for this show.

My favorite medical series of all time was NYMed--all real life medical, no soap opera from the writers' room. That should tell you why I like this show and am regretting I just discovered it.

Was casting around--pun intended--for a series whose season begins about now to fill a hole in my viewing schedule left by cancellations. Stumbled into "Code Black". Had ignored it when it premiered a couple of years ago on the premise that, like so many other medical dramas, the soap opera predominated over the medical. Quite the opposite, it turns out. Watched its Season 3's 2nd episode on a lark, watched the season premiere on demand, and then set my DVR for the series. Decided I needed to catch up on the previous two seasons and ordered the DVDs. I then figured I'd use a rainy weekend alone with the dogs to binge watch through as much of the two years as time allowed. Note to self: Do NOT try this at home. The medical and related emotional issues are way too high octane for binge watching, and I had to stop for some processing time. The other choice was turning whichever dog was on my lap into a crying towel. Having learned my lesson, will be enjoying the past seasons at a slower pace while I follow the current season at the usual weekly pace. Ratings have been drifting down, so I may be setting myself up for another teeth clenching reaction to a cancellation announcement, but can't let that stop me now even if deciding I like a series is a kiss of eventual death about half the time. Watch it while you can, stat!

BTW, the opening scene of the "Better Angels" was about as innovative as any TV scene I can remember. It was an amazing way both to portray the patient's medical condition (visions) and to make the very real point that the profound professionalism and intense training of ER professionals makes for a genuine and intricate choreography inside the chaos that the uninformed eye sees. On top of this, it was complete fun seeing the cast perform in ways that are highly unusual in this genre. You could sort of tell by body language and facial expressions which ones were enjoying it and which were, shall we say, more challenged by the novelty of it. But they pulled it off, and it was fun to see. Have watched that scene close to ten times and am still not tired of it.

The only word that comes to mind when I think about this show is . . . wow. It's so powerful. It's so beautiful. It's such a great show.

Given the genre being medical, in my honest opinion, I find this medical drama to be far superior for several reasons. For example:

1) We don't get the cliche stories of doctors sleeping around. 2) The medical cases are interesting almost all the time. 3) The main cast is great. 4) The directing is awesome. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to direct a show with such a chaotic environment. 5) This one builds of #4 - I love the environment that this show is try to depict. I have seen the documentary that it is based off and it is really admirable to see that they are trying to show this environment in a TV environment. Everyone should see the documentary. It is definitely a must-see!

I just love this show a lot. And I watch a lot of TV.