A TV post! It’s been a long time. This TV season has been pretty underwhelming for me so I haven’t felt compelled to write about it.
BUT. New midseason shows are premiering and I remembered to catch Off the Map, a medical drama set in an unnamed South American jungle.
The show’s been getting mixed reviews but I love Zach Gilford so I figured why not. The pilot was… ok. It didn’t wow me or make me fall in love with the characters but it wasn’t so terrible that I wouldn’t watch it again.
But seriously, as much as the producers want us to believe that Off the Map is not Grey’s Anatomy in the jungle, I’m here to tell you…
IT’S TOTALLY GREY’S ANATOMY IN THE JUNGLE.
At least as far as I can tell from the pilot.
I know Shonda Rhimes didn’t create this show (a former Grey’s writer/producer, Jenna Bans, did) but it sure has her fingerprints all over it. There’s a scene in particular when Lily, Mina and Tommy (the newbie doctors) are at the bar standing in front of an oscillating fan to beat the heat. They’re complaining about the craziness of their first day and Lily (who appears to be the Meredith Grey-type lead character) smiles, says “Just follow the fan” and they all simultaneously lean to the side. So quirky. So Shonda.
As an aside, what was up with drinking and then going immediately to check on a patient? So it’s not a requirement to be sober while at work?
Something else that bothers me is that none of the doctors (aside from Valerie) seem to speak or understand even the tiniest bit of Spanish. You’re moving to a foreign country to practice medicine and you don’t know basic words and phrases to communicate with patients?! Argh. I learn the basics when I travel and that’s just for a few weeks not for a prolonged length of time.
Anyway, there’s potential here. The premise is intriguing. And the cast is amazing, particularly Mamie Gummer, Caroline Dhavernas and of course, Zach Gilford (though sadly his character’s backstory is the weakest which saddens me because he deserves much better material). I just hope the writing improves and the show can somehow differentiate itself from Grey’s. Right now there’s too many similarities — from the characters (Lily is totally Meredith, Mina is Cristina, Valerie is Bailey, etc) to the dialogue and even down to the patients acting as the week’s “life lesson.” It needs more spark and less familiarity. I already watch and enjoy Grey’s. I don’t need to watch a forgettable, average version of the same show. I’ll give it a few more episodes to see if it finds its footing.
Did anyone else catch the premiere? What did you think?
I did watch the first…10 minutes of the show. 🙂 The verdict? Well, considering I just wrote I only watched the first 10 minutes…you can probably guess my answer… 😉
As I believe you already know…I’m NOT a big fan of doctor shows…Private Practice is my limit. 🙂 So although “Off The Map” is taped in HAWAII, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch this one. I do think your “pal” Zach Gilford is quite attractive, but he’s not quite enough to make me watch. 😛 The characters/actors didn’t really appeal to me (altho I do like Mamie Gummer – she was on The Good Wife a couple of times and was excellent). The scenery was beautiful, but that was about it.
My opinion shouldn’t really count tho because I didn’t even watch half. 😛 I’m sure it does have potential, but like you said…it’s “Grey’s Anatomy in the jungle.” Don’t like Grey’s Anatomy…or the jungle. 🙂
I just watched it last night…..wasn’t too overly impressed, but I never write a show off based on one episode. I will continue to watch …give it a chance to capture more of my attention. I love Zach Gilford and Caroline Dhavernas — in fact, I only tuned in to see the two of them. ha!
I totally agree with you, Kel. I thought the exact same thing with the drinking scene. I also like Zach Gilford, which is why I’m watching. Plus, there’s Victoria from Twilight in it 🙂 Well, the original Victoria that is. I think I’ll keep watching and see if it improves.