Chicago Med: Season One

Chicago Med does not want to set the world on fire (that would be Chicago Fire), nor does it want to be the most arresting (that would be Chicago P.D.). But this third entry in Dick Wolf's Chicago franchise might be just what the doctor ordered for those requiring a weekly dose of hospital shows in which a medical crisis plays out against the background of the messy personal lives of the doctors and administration. It's been done—a lot—but Chicago Med's vital signs are pretty good during this inaugural season. Things literally go off the rails quickly: no sooner is the ribbon cut to open the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center then an elevated train derailment sends a flood of patients through its doors. The series is anchored by two veteran character actors, S. Epatha Merkerson operating at peak efficiency as chief administrator Sharon Goodwin, and Oliver Platt as chief of the psychiatry department Daniel Charles, thrice-divorced and struggling with depression. Colin Donnell makes an immediate impression as Dr. Connor Rhodes, a trauma surgeon who happens to be on that ill-fated train and can stitch up his own wounds (shirtless!), and Nick Gehlfuss is Dr. Will Halstead, whose brother is a detective on Chicago P.D. (there is further crossover in an episode in which the doctors race to save a Chicago Fire firefighter who was stabbed). The personal crises are standard issue medical show drama: one single, widowed nurse is pregnant, while another is reunited with his estranged sister. And on the job, Rhodes wrestles with just what level of care he should administer to a teenaged movie theater shooter. Along the way, careers are jeopardized by life or death decisions that violate hospital policy. Chicago Med is formulaic to be sure, but for fans of comfort television, it's good for what ails you. Presenting all 18 episodes from the 2015-16 debut season, extras include crossover episodes. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)