Last night I watched TNT’s third episode of Hawthorne, Jada Pinkett Smith’s (Exec Producer/Director) and John Masius’ (Exec Producer/Writer) new nursing “dramalet”. Yes, I made that word up. It’s the diminuitive form of drama. That isn’t meant to be demeaning in any way. I really quite like the show and almost blogged the first episode I saw. But while first impressions are lasting, it’s only fair to give a show a couple of episodes before forming concrete opinions (unless the show is Raising the Bar).
So what’s to like? First, it has color, the missing ingredient in primetime television… beautiful browns, high yellows, tans and cafe con cremas! Black, Hispanic, Italian, biracial–damn! Even the white folks look ethnic. And any drama that dares to paint my screen in the colors of my life I will give more than a fighting chance.
Next, the characters have heart. Chief Nursing Officer Christina Hawthorne (Jada Pinkett Smith) gos above and beyond the duties of a nurse. She’s a ridiculous risktaker. She takes medical risks and ethical risks, any of which would be a career ender for normal people. Bur her care for her patients shines through. The rest of her staff is just as caring, if somewhat less daring. There are no sourpusses and no hardasses looking to torture your loved ones when you’re not watching.
Finally, the best quality of the show is that it doesn’t try to be more than it is: a serialized medical drama. In other words, it doesn’t pretend to be the next ER. The technical aspects of medicine take a back seat to the story lines. And the story lines are tried and true: Hawthorne is a widowed mother at odds with her headstrong teenage daughter. Last night’s episode featured a good ole Munchausen by Proxy story arc, and the ever popular “sibling who can’t pull the plug on a brain-dead parent”. Touching. Seriously, it is. After 11 mostly good years of ER, here’s a show that embraces the core mission of any drama: entertainment. This program does not exist to educate. You won’t feel like you’re halfway toward earning your medical degree after watching Hawthorne. It won’t prepare you to discuss the ethics of black on black abuse in Africa, or the inequities of a failing health system… not yet.
That’s why I call it a dramalet. It’s cute and small enough to hide in the shadows of many current dramas. Watch it anyway. I’m not sure what the future of Hawthorne holds for its viewers, but for now it’s a lighthearted, colorful, and totally human drama worth watching.
For an op-ed opinion of the show, visit HollywoodChicago.com.