Nurse Jackie

When I heard that Edie Falco was in another TV drama I definitely had to check it out. I had hoped the writing was good, and I wasn't disappointed. Edie Falco as Nurse Jackie is brilliant as usual. She was great in The Sopranos and she doesn't disappoint in this. She is so gifted, she could make an alphabet recitation interesting. The character Jackie is troubled, complex and caring and she draws you in. The storyline is complex as I'm sure the character arcs will be.

It's refreshing to see a drama with the central focus on a nurse. I tire of the hero worship of doctors on TV and film. Obviously many TV and film writers have little idea generally speaking of what most hospital doctors are like. I can appreciate certain parts of this show since I have been an RN myself for many years. Nurses of course are highly under-appreciated and underpaid.

Eve Best also plays an excellent character as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara. I look forward to her appearance each episode.

This is not a hospital soap opera like "Greys Anatomy" or "ER". It's quirky and complex. I am really looking forward to this show having a long run. I hope Edie Falco continues to get quality roles in her career. She is remarkable.

I absolutely love this show, there is a little of everything in it, and the acting and writing is top notch. I quite liked the new characters coming in as the seasons progressed, but did notice the stories quality declining.

I am sorry to say that I was left wholly disappointed in the final (7th) series, especially the final episode. To me it felt as if the show needed a more deserving ending. I'm not sure if the writers had changed or if they just didn't have any better ideas for the show to end. Such a shame.

The acting throughout is top notch, and Edie Falco's and Merrit Wever's Emmy awards were so deserved.

Definitely a show to watch, just don't expect to get the ending it (and we) deserved.

WOW. I watched episode 1 of Nurse Jackie this morning OnDemand. I LOVE her INSTANTLY! Edie Falco has brought to life a character I can really enjoy. The supporting cast is not full of stereo-typicals, and they compliment the show. I am so looking forward to next weeks' episode! I have heard a lot of comparisons of Nurse Jackie to Dr Gregory House. I doubt any of these critics watched the show. Being injured & dependent on Pain Meds is where the likeness ends. Dr. House is a louse. Nurse Jackie CARES. She has HEART. She FEELS. The show reminds me of the original E/R from way-back-when. The one with Elliot Gould, Jason Alexander & baby-face ACE...a young George Clooney. I really enjoyed that show too.

If the show were real, I would trust Nurse Jackie with my life...just not my Pain Medication. Please give this show a real chance & watch it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I will admit, I didn't have much hopes for this show, due to my own ingrained prejudices. Halfway through season one, I was hooked and now I genuinely think it is one of the best shows I have seen (nothing will ever quite match up to The Wire however). This show is SO funny, dark, serious and perfectly blends gritty drama with laugh out loud comedy.

It is an important show for me for many reasons, Nurse Jackie, played by Edie Falco (incredible) is the first female protagonist I have seen in a while who isn't incredibly hot and 2 dimensionally fleshed out as a character. She is attractive but regular, and most importantly flawed. She is a real woman, a sort of anti-hero. She compares to typical protagonists like Tony Soprano, Walter White and Jimmy McNulty, but is female and it is so refreshing to see realistic representations of women on screen, (along with the support cast).

I've watched it all now, and I can say she does some despicable things, and we get to learn how she works which makes you squirm, but she also does amazing things for her patients. She's an addict.

For me this show wins out on it's portrayal of women as real people with real lives and personalities, and real/representative faces and bodies. Men are also portrayed well, with screen time showing them concerned with their futures as husbands/fathers as well as their careers. This show does really well to subvert the patriarchal traditional stereotype of how we see women and men portrayed on the screen, and I for one have been crying out for a show like this. Amazing! I only wish more shows could be as progressive as this.

Preamble: People complain about the "unrealistic" nature, over the top drama and even the campiness despite going on to love any other movie or tv show. Every piece of literature takes creative license to bend reality. To say this show is bad because it is unrealistic is to say Sherlock Holmes is irredeemably horrible.

Now for the review, the show is unbelievably intriguing, drawing you in to the downfall of Jackie. The campiness contrasts amazingly with the horrifically dark storyline. Jackie is not a "strong female protagonist." You can watch it and just cheer for women mindlessly as Jackie tells everyone what for, however it's pretty obvious Jackie is a narcissist and menace to her family. There's nothing wrong with watching a show mindlessly. It's entertainment, not a math exam, however it's more enjoyable to rewatch and realize the vile stuff Jackie does. Just watch the show, to understand how much of a conflicting antihero she is, versus reading about it through some schlub on the internet.

For my final point, Edie Falco is phenomenal. She went from a morally just woman in an amoral environment in The Sopranos to the complete opposite: an amoral junkie who portrays herself as an innocent nurse and loving mother. She perfectly conveys Jackie, and for that matter, any character she's ever portrayed. If you truly want to see Edie Falco be a strong, intelligent woman, watch The Sopranos, because this is not it. She portrays an horrible woman in a campy, bright world, where everything falls apart around her from her own undoing here. At the surface level, she's strong and confident, but the creators want to portray beneath the exterior something darker.

In conclusion, it's a great show that was only marred by production issues with contract disputes forcing actors to disappear early in the show. I do not want to count production companies being production companies against the show, but it is what it is. Amazing characters, acting and deeper meanings that aren't necessary to obsess over to enjoy. If you watch this show, and think it was a soap opera, or ill conceived, then maybe rewatch it with a critical view of the protagonist, as hard as it is to hate Edie Falco.