Trauma: Season 1

This 2009 ABC series set in the world of EMTs and paramedics working out of a San Francisco hospital combines medical drama and urban action, with an emphasis on the latter. The opener presents the explosive spectacle of a high-energy rooftop rescue and a helicopter crash and then picks up a year later as practically every member of the team ignores the emotional and psychic scars of the event. They plunge into self-destructive behavior and ride the adrenaline rush of the job like a drug, with subsequent episodes featuring car accidents, a botched airplane landing, and assorted other crises—all of which add up to an eventful and hyped-up version of an otherwise familiar genre with screwed-up heroes making bad personal decisions while saving lives. EMT copter pilots Marisa and “Rabbit” (Amy Garcia and Cliff Curtis) cover the transport side, while Nancy (Anastasia Griffith), Glenn (Taylor Kinney), Boone (Derek Luke), and Tyler (Kevin Rankin) manage things on the ground before delivering the trauma cases to the emergency room domain of Dr. Joseph Saviano (Jamey Sheridan), who provides the level-headed adult supervision. Since the show was not renewed by the network, the 18 episodes here comprise the entire series. DVD extras include audio commentary on the pilot episode, and deleted scenes. Given the show's cancelled status, this is an optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)