So, I can't believe I'm saying this but...
Watching the pilot episode of Emily Owens, MD --- officially airing Oct. 16th, The CW --- made me miss and appreciate the way stories revolve on Grey's Anatomy. Just a tiny bit!
Emily Owens, MD's first episode is, for lack of a better word, BORING. The first few scenes showed promise. If you've seen earlier previews of it on Youtube, it's those scenes that made me so eager to watch this show in the first place.
But, as soon as Emily was handed her first case, it all went downhill from there.
Like Skipper is to Barbie Doll, this show is Grey's Anatomy's less developed (way, way less developed!) little sister. Or little distant cousin, if you must --- coz these two shows aren't at all connected.
It sorely lacked humor, and that alone should make a big difference. It didn't have sex (well it hinted of one sexy scene, for a fleeting second), and romance is still (potentially) developing. And as much as I do not like soap opera, this show sadly needed a big kick of that. It didn't even have an interesting background music! (Hint: Use Fix You by Coldplay. It always works!!! Haha.)
The one bright spot to Emily Owens, MD is casting Mamie Gummer for the lead. Not yet quite fantastic as her mom, Meryl Streep, Mamie is adequately talented and very capable of carrying her own show. Her biggest asset is that she is so relatable to the average viewer. Those watching, however, may find her narration off-putting. But I blame that on the material and not on the actress.
Come to think of it, Emily Owens, MD is composed of a good set of actors. I like everyone in the group just fine, even if they play stereotypes. It's the writing I'm having a beef with. Cliched, predictable and lacklustre, the story could use more improvement.
But hey, it's the pilot and more often than not, pilots are pretty much uneven.
So, I'm staying put to see where this goes because, while the show doesn't even look too promising based on what I've seen so far, I'm really, really rooting for the lead star. (Go, Mamie!!!)
Emily Owens, MD is written & created by Jennie Snyder Urman, whose previous shows include 90210, Lipstick Jungle, Gilmore Girls & Men In Trees.
From the official press release:
At long last, Emily Owens feels like she is an actual grown-up. She can finally put her high school days as the geeky-girl-with-flop-sweats behind her; she's graduated from medical school and is now a first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital, where she'll have the chance to work with world-famous cardiologist Dr. Gina Beckett - and where, not-so-coincidentally, her med-school crush Will Rider is also an intern. So why does everyone keep warning her that the hospital is just like high school? Emily soon finds out the hard way - her high school nemesis, the gorgeous, popular Cassandra Kopelson, is also just starting out at Denver Memorial, and it seems like they're rivals all over again - not only as surgical interns, but for Will's attention.
Fellow intern Tyra Granger warns Emily that the cliques at Denver Memorial are all too familiar: the jocks have become orthopedic surgeons; the mean girls are in plastics; the rebels are in the ER, and Tyra has her own awkward place as the principal's kid - her father is the chief resident. Emily's the new kid all over again, and it's just as awkward as high school. Only this time around, Emily will have to balance the personal and emotional turmoil of social politics with the high-stakes world of life-and-death medical decisions. At least she has fellow intern Tyra and nerdy-but-cute resident Micah, to count on as friends. Emily is growing to realize that although she may be a geek, she may also grow to be a great doctor, flop sweats and all.
The series stars Mamie Gummer as Emily, Justin Hartley as Will, Michael Rady as Micah, Aja Naomi King as Cassandra, Kelly McCreary as Tyra and Necar Zadegan as Gina. EMILY OWENS, M.D. is from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Jennie Snyder Urman ("90210," "Lipstick Jungle"), Dan Jinks ("Pushing Daisies," "Milk") and Bharat Nalluri ("Tsunami"). The pilot was directed by Bharat Nalluri.
Here is the preview:
