OD on the Tube: NBC’s The Night Shift

Growing up watching American TV series and OD-ing on Hollywood rom-coms doesn’t seem weird in my generation of Filipinos. I can still recall in the 90’s when I would watch Power Rangers and X-men and argue with my cousins who’s the better superhero at the time. I then moved on to watching Friends, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, even taking a peek at McGuyver and Baywatch but was too young to understand the plot. Why I skipped Dawson’s Creek, I do not know. In my teens Charmed and 7^th Heaven were must-watch shows then progressed to Sex and the City, The OC, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy. Aside from reading and constantly writing down my thoughts, I think I owe my vocabulary and fluency in English to watching these shows.

Image from NBC.com

Last month, thanks to cable TV, I got a glimpse of NBC’s new drama series, The Night Shift on BeTV. Okay, first thought, could be as good as Grey’s Anatomy. Second, that Eion Macken is smoking hot! Third, I need a break from CSI, Closer, Major Crimes and all those crime-related drama. So I waited patiently for June 1 (Philippine premiere on Sony BeTV Asia).

Image from BeTV's Facebook Page

Here’s my take on the first episode. To be honest, I watched it again last night because I was not able to switch channels on time and missed the first 10 minutes. To be clear, I do not want to compare it to Grey’s Anatomy but it’s the only reference I have of medical-related drama. In TNS, the plot focuses on the Trauma team wherein most of the doctors are from the Army. Cases and surgeries are mostly performed in the emergency room with financial issues adding more pressure.

The plot is good enough for me. The cast gives justice to their characters so far (and from what I’ve read about the next episode). The script is well written that it seems like just a normal conversation in a real hospital. I’m kind of wondering right now if TC Callahan (Macken) and Jordan Alexander (Jill Flint) would be romantically involved in the future (they're ex-lovers) or if he’s going to go out with Landry De La Cruz (Daniella Alonso). I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series now.

Catch The Night Shift on BeTV every Sundays, 9:50pm. To get updates of the show, like the “The Night Shift” page on Facebook. For more NBC shows, log on to www.nbc.com.