We need a show

[Perrotfish]

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Does anyone notice that Pediatricians never really get a television show? Medicine has great market penetration: House, Scrubs, Beckman, and half a dozen soap operas. Surgery gets appreciated with steamy soap operas like Greys anatomy, and also the other half of scrubs. ER got ER. Military Medicine gets MASH. Ob-gyn never really seems to get a medical show but its at least good for lead characters in sitcoms (the Mindy show). Even Pathology gets a slot on the crime dramas. What do we get? Rob Corddry doing 15 minutes shorts at midnight on Cartoon network. No offense to the man's work, but we deserve better than that.

Anyway, my point is we're an untapped market. Children should basically be an emotional multiplier: when they're kinda sick they add an 'aww' factor to a comedy, when they're really sick they double down on drama. So how would you guys write a show about pediatrics that doesn't suck? Slice of life sitcom about a Pediatric residency? Heart stopping drama in the PICU? Clinic based mocumentery? HBO series about a sex, drugs, and neonatologists? What would you watch?

 

[StarboardMD]

Private Practice had a pediatrician and there were usually a few dramatic cases per season. Plus there was Addison Montgomery (spin-off from Grey's Anatomy) who is some kind of double (triple?) boarded neonatologist/surgeon/OB-GYN phenom. But you're right, peds was definitely not the focus.

You do make a valid point. Seems like the field could definitely have the makings of some kind of hyper-dramatized medical show...

But does the world really need another one? 🙂 Every time I see an ad for a new medical drama, I think a little part of me dies inside. And when someone actually asks me if real life is anything like Grey's Anatomy, a big part of me dies.

Of course, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that Private Practice was one of my guilty pleasures on my current deployment. I am ashamed to admit that ER was what first interested me in pursuing the field of medicine. I watched the first couple of seasons of Grey's before I couldn't handle it any more. I will be a lifelong fan of Scrubs (except for the last couple of seasons). And who doesn't love MASH? 🙂

 

[J-Rad]

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Dr. Norriss needs his own show.

Don't forget that Doug Ross was a pediatrician, too (not that ER didn't go on about 13 seasons too long)

 

[J-Rad]

Sex, drugs, and neonatology? I suppose OBP does seem like a party animal😀

But a dramedy set in a children's hospital could be a good show if written well (Scrubs quality. No Grey's Anatomy "I'm a board certified OB-GYN and pediatric surgeon" stupidity)

 

[BigRedBeta]

Does anyone notice that Pediatricians never really get a television show? Medicine has great market penetration: House, Scrubs, Beckman, and half a dozen soap operas. Surgery gets appreciated with steamy soap operas like Greys anatomy, and also the other half of scrubs. ER got ER. Military Medicine gets MASH. Ob-gyn never really seems to get a medical show but its at least good for lead characters in sitcoms (the Mindy show). Even Pathology gets a slot on the crime dramas. What do we get? Rob Corddry doing 15 minutes shorts at midnight on Cartoon network. No offense to the man's work, but we deserve better than that.

Anyway, my point is we're an untapped market. Children should basically be an emotional multiplier: when they're kinda sick they add an 'aww' factor to a comedy, when they're really sick they double down on drama. So how would you guys write a show about pediatrics that doesn't suck? Slice of life sitcom about a Pediatric residency? Heart stopping drama in the PICU? Clinic based mocumentery? HBO series about a sex, drugs, and neonatologists? What would you watch?

Not quite it's own show but this did happen:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35063448/ns/dateline_nbc-health_stories/#.UfR3AI03uSo

 

[michigangirl]

There is this...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1325113/
😛

I'll be honest, I think there's a reason a dramedy about pediatricians hasn't happened. Unless its a complete comedy centered around the foibles of general pediatrics, people really don't want to watch kids getting seriously ill and dying. There's an occasional child death here and there on sitcoms and dramas, but it's a very rare event. Too depressing for the general public for a show to be focused on kids and illness. too many parents out there who would not watch simply because it scares the crap out of them that this could happen to them. There's a reason those of who care for sick kids get "I could never do what you do" from the general public and also, let's be honest, our adult medicine colleagues. sick kids scare and depress people. Watching adults get sick on tv is like a train wreck for the average TV watcher-- they can't peel their eyes away. Just look at reality tv. Millions of shows focused on obesity, birthing high risk mothers, adult trauma-- for some reason humanity derives pleasure from watching this stuff. But kids are the line in the sand.

 

[Bernardo_11]

This might belie my age here a bit, but IIRC that show "Empty Nest" on NBC back in the 80's featured a old guy living with his 2 adult aged daughters, and they were neighbors with "The Golden Girls." He was a pediatrician before going into adult medicine halfway through the shows series.

Nardo

 

[yoyoma8]

"Childrens Hospital" on Adult Swim is one of the smartest shows on television, in my opinion. It's pretty low on the serious-drama aspect you might be looking for, however...