Apparently, there are a lot of medical emergencies in the Hamptons - deflated boobs, dying socialites, hemophiliac kids. And apparently, there is also a shortage of doctors in the area that is so bad everyone is clamoring to be attended to by a visiting doctor from out of town who has just been conveniently ostracized for having let a hospital trustee die in his care. That's the basics of Royal Pains, USA's latest edition to its "characters welcome" line-up. Unfortunately for Doctor Hank Lawson, the physician in the center of this maelstrom of health issues, none of his patients are particularly interesting, which means I didn't care if they lived or died or if any of their wounds were healed properly. Nor did I care if the overly ambitious would-be doctor's assistant Divya got her wish that Lawson hang his shingle in the Hamptons. Or if his brother found a way to get laid.
The point of the show, as discerned from the title, is sort of a reverse House - to see a good-natured but perhaps slightly curmudgeonly doctor treat rude, privileged patients used to getting everything they want. And it's clear that the creative team behind this show is willing to toss anything into this show - a bit of blood, a hint of skin, a love interest, a hip soundtrack, a supposedly humorous sidekick, and even a foreshadowed free clinic that might come to town - to grab your interest. But none of it really did, for me.
To be fair, I didn't think I'd like the show when I saw the previews, so it started off with a bit of a handicap. And I'm not sure what made me watch it, other than the hope that I might be pleasantly surprised. But I don't think I'll get the urge again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-03-2009 @ 12:53PM
brian said...
And this is a pointless article. Totally an opinion piece about 1 show, with no insight whatsoever, or new information.
I actually like the show, but even if I didn't, what the heck was the point of this?? You say you don't like it, but it comes across as brash and as egotistical as the patience on the show. Why should I care what you think?? Why should I care if it's a bad show?? What could be done to fix it?? What is the point??
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7-03-2009 @ 12:53PM
brian said...
I meant patients not patience.
7-03-2009 @ 2:04PM
killer_twinkie said...
I am not really sure about this show yet. I find myself watching it and I don't really know why. I don't really care too much about the patients, Divya annoys the crap out of me, and the brother has basically no respect when he's just getting a free ride anyways. I watch it alongside Burn Notice but I'm not sure if I actually like it or if I'm just using it as a time filler.
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7-03-2009 @ 1:19PM
Susan said...
I like this series a lot, especially the brothers!
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7-03-2009 @ 1:20PM
Rob said...
I kinda agree with Brian. What's the point of your opinion? While I don't think RP is on the same level as House, it's not really supposed to be. This is the same network that brings us Psych, and Burn Notice, and all three are produced in similar manners. Personally, I really like Royal Pains. I enjoy the premise, story, and the fact that it's like MacGyver meets House. Sure there are things that could be improved on, but it's only had like, what,.. 5 shows? Give it a chance.
And if you didn't think you would like it, why did you watch it? Moreover, why would you think we would care about your opinion?
I don't mean to be rude,.. I just don't get it.
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7-03-2009 @ 2:14PM
Jimmy_MO said...
Isn't the whole point of the site to share opinion? I mean, it's a site operated by people who watch a lot of television and share their thoughts. This has never been a review-only website.
7-03-2009 @ 2:33PM
Jake said...
Jimmy_MO, I for one think its fine to include opinion articles and Nick is entitled to his opinion... the question I have is who the heck is Nick Zaino? If this opinion had come from a regular blogger such as Allison, Annie, Bob or Jonathan, it would probably carry more weight. As a regular reader, my first reaction wasn't to wonder why Nick Zaino didn't like Royal Pains. My first reaction was who the heck is Nick Zaino and why would I care about his opinion? He probably wrote this to get more exposure on this blog. It's working for sure. But I still don't care about his opinion.
7-03-2009 @ 3:13PM
Joel Keller said...
Nick posts regularly to this site. It's not like he's some random guy. He just doesn't post as often as some of the folks you mentioned. Doesn't give his opinion any less weight.
7-03-2009 @ 4:46PM
Rob said...
Perhaps I'm the one with the wrong impression. For the most part, I've considered TV Squad an informative blog. It tells me when changes are happening on my favorite shows, when certain shows are playing, and what's going on with my favorite actors. Sure, there are posts that illicit discussions amongst the readers, but when those type of posts come out, it's normally something along the lines of "Some people are criticizing **** show/actor/director for **** reason, what do you think?". Not, "I feel this way about **** show. I didn't expect to like it, and I was right". I mean seriously....
TVS has almost always been good about giving information and reviews, but leaving the voicing of opinions to the readers. That's not to say that Nick's or any other writers opinions don't matter, just that I don't think their opinions merit closed-ended posts.
And I know you say that Nick posts regularly to this site. (I really don't pay attention most of the time who writes what) I'm sure that's true, and I'm not trying to flame him. But he doesn't even review Royal Pains to begin with! Bob does (or was as of the last episode), and HE ACTUALLY LIKES IT!
This got blown way out of proportion, but it got this way because the original post was just kinda out of left field.
7-03-2009 @ 10:13PM
Jake said...
Well here's the thing Joel. This guy doesn't review any shows from what I can tell. He mainly posts news, but nothing that would indicate to me as a reader what his television tastes are and where he's coming from. So I would argue that his opinion does carry less weight, because he's not a distinctive voice on this blog. I really don't mean any offense to Nick personally. But again, why should I care what he thinks about a show given that I don't really know anything about him other than he normally posts news? This is kind of problem with this blog as a whole.
7-05-2009 @ 9:37AM
Joel Keller said...
Even our news posts are heavy on the opinion, so whether you've noticed or not, Nick's been giving his opinion on shows for awhile.
Also, we're not structured in a way that ascribes some sort of "senior critic" label on those who want to write about shows as opposed to those who don't. Anyone can chime in on any show at any time, even ones for which we do regular reviews. People volunteer to review the shows they do... only in very few cases do I assign a show to someone. Just because Nick hasn't volunteered to review a show doesn't mean he's not allowed to express an opinion.
If you feel that's a problem with the site, then shoot me a note using the "comments" link above and we can go into it more in-depth.
7-03-2009 @ 1:24PM
Jake said...
This show isn't Mad Men or The Wire. And it's definitely not House. It's a summer show on USA and it's pretty good. And judging by the ratings, 5.9 million people seem to also like it and realize it is what it is. It's definitely not a series I will be buying a DVD of and watching for years to come. But I do think you are nitpicking. I think the show could use some tweaks to make it better, but its far your characterization of it. Also, no offense, but why do we care if you don't like a show?
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7-03-2009 @ 1:25PM
Laura said...
this is great bubble gum show - i watch it because i can get on the elliptical and laugh at the lopsided boob and the brother who gets into a spa that hasn't been cleaned in god know how long.
I've had enough of a-hole docs w/ peons who are humbled on a weekly basis - don't get me wrong, i watch those too - but for different reasons than RP.
And i've been recommending it too.
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7-03-2009 @ 1:25PM
Eileen said...
I felt the same way as you, Nick. Thanks for voicing my opinion! The previews of the show left me wondering how this guy could be (supposedly) a romantic lead. And nothing about what they were telling me made me want to tune in. When I did watch an episode, my reaction was like yours: meh. *big yawn*
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7-03-2009 @ 1:38PM
bc said...
It is a puzzle how Mark Feuerstein continues to be cast as a leading man--how bad must the other guys who tested be? But the show is otherwise not terrible; other characters like the brother are getting their own story lines, there's a mystery element with what Boris is up to, maybe the kid with haemophilia will be back and people will start wondering why a middle-aged man spends so much time hanging out with a teenage boy. The premise isn't very plausible, but that's never been a necessity for success in television.
7-03-2009 @ 1:31PM
Aytunc said...
Thats a badly written opinion piece, and serves no purpose on a good blog like this. I thought there was some kind of editorial system that decided what gets posted or not. I seen better comments to a blog post than this.
As you can see from the comments made, people disagree with you.
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7-03-2009 @ 1:36PM
Janniel said...
Watched 2 & 1/2 episodes....don't like, not at all interesting...IMO
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7-03-2009 @ 1:39PM
tana green said...
Could be better, but who cares. It's a summer filler. Nothing else on but repeats all over the place. It has that going for it, novelty. Full of potential, but not for much.
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7-03-2009 @ 1:44PM
Roscoe said...
I think Nick does have a point and it is that this is a show that isn't good enough to really like yet isn't bad enough to hate. It is trying lots of different things early in the series to see what works and the result is a show that is just okay. Okay could be better and okay could be worse; however, okay is tough to formulate a strong opinion or deep sentiment about. The result is this article.
And, being in Canada, we have only had three episodes air yet, so i'm a bit behind. (Although i don't think this show will demand the need for spoiler alert.) Having watched those three, i must say that I'm fine with okay. I'll tivo it and watch it as I'm doing something else. It is the same way i watched Las Vegas. Do I speak of this show passionately or urge my friends to follow Hank's adventures or even remember any of the characters' names? No, but I'll watch.
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7-03-2009 @ 2:06PM
mosbutnotall said...
If I think about it there's not a huge amount I really like about this show, the characters aren't particularly interesting, the actors are ok, but haven't yet brought anything special to the show, the stories are average and so on and so forth. I do enjoy it though and I don't know why. I may get bored of it quickly though.
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