A Gifted Man
| A Gifted Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
Medical drama Supernatural |
| Created by | Susannah Grant |
| Starring |
Patrick Wilson Jennifer Ehle Margo Martindale Liam Aiken Julie Benz Pablo Schreiber Rachelle Lefevre Afton Williamson |
| Theme music composer | W. G. Snuffy Walden |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jonathan Demme Susannah Grant Sarah Timberman Carl Beverly Neal Baer |
| Cinematography | Tom Weston |
| Camera setup | Arri Alexa; Single-camera |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Baer Bones CBS Television Studios Timberman-Beverly Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | September 23, 2011 – March 2, 2012 |
A Gifted Man is an American television series, which premiered on CBS on September 23, 2011.[1] The series is about a talented but self-absorbed surgeon (Patrick Wilson) who starts questioning his purpose in life when he is visited by the spirit of his deceased ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle). The pilot episode was directed by Jonathan Demme, who also served as an executive producer on the show along with writer Susannah Grant. The first thirteen episodes were aired in the Friday 8:00 p.m. timeslot (September 23, 2011 – February 10, 2012), while the final three episodes of the 16 episode season order were aired in the Friday 9:00 p.m. timeslot (February 17, 2012 – March 2, 2012).
On May 10, 2012, A Gifted Man was canceled by CBS.[2]
Synopsis
Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is a talented but self-absorbed surgeon at an upscale New York City clinic. He lives a comfortable and materialistic life due to the wealthy clients he treats, but is nevertheless discontented with his life and acts coldly to those around him. His life is thrown into disarray, however, when he is visited by the ghost of his ex-wife Anna Paul (Jennifer Ehle), who was recently killed in a car accident. Anna asks Michael to help keep running the free clinic she previously directed, which leads Michael to be exposed to poorer patients in need who are far different from his usual clientele. Michael's sister Christina (Julie Benz), a single mother struggling to care for her troubled teenaged son Milo (Liam Aiken), believes in the supernatural and is thrilled with the idea that Anna is back in Michael's life, as she insists he was a better person when she was around.[3][4]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Patrick Wilson as Dr. Michael Holt, a brilliant neurosurgeon and owner of Holt Neuro. Following Anna's death, he starts volunteering at Clinica Sonando.[3]
- Jennifer Ehle as Anna Paul, Michael's ex-wife, who has come back as a spirit attached to him. She only appears to Michael.[4]
- Margo Martindale as Rita Perkins-Hall, Michael's loyal, headstrong assistant. Rita is a former nurse.[4]
- Pablo Schreiber as Anton Little Creek, a shaman and spiritual healer who helps Michael understand his otherworldly experiences. He is a longtime friend and former lover of Michael's sister Christina. Anton also works as a handyman at Clinica Sonando.[5]
- Rachelle Lefevre as Dr. Kate Sykora, a doctor who takes over as director at Clinica Sanando after Anna's death.[6]
Recurring cast
- Rhys Coiro as Dr. Zeke Barnes, a physician working at Clinica Sanando.
- Afton Williamson as Autumn, a social worker volunteering at Clinica Sanando.[4]
- Julie Benz as Christina Holt, Michael's sister.[4]
- Liam Aiken as Christina's son Milo Holt, Michael's nephew[4]
- Eriq La Salle as Evan "E-Mo" Morris, a psychiatrist-neurologist at Holt Neuro and Michael's personal friend.
- Mike Doyle as Victor Lantz, the anesthesiologist at Holt Neuro.
- Adrian Martinez as Hector, the desk clerk at Clinica Sanando.
- Peter Hermann as Harrison Curtis, Kate's husband.
- Katie Ross as Maria, a nurse at Holt Neuro.
Production
A Gifted Man is produced by CBS Television Studios and Timberman-Beverly Productions. Jonathan Demme, Susannah Grant, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Neal Baer are executive producers. Demme directed and Loucas George produced the pilot episode.[4]
On November 14, 2011, CBS ordered three additional episodes of the series, bringing the total to 16 for the season.[7]
Ratings
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday 8pm (September 23, 2011 – February 10, 2012) Friday 9pm (February 17, 2012 – March 2, 2012) |
September 23, 2011 | March 2, 2012 | 2011-2012 | #60 | 8.63 | |
Reception
During an early review of the pilot episode, HitFix writer Daniel Fienberg praised the cast as well as Demme's direction, although he questioned whether the show would be as good without Demme and feared the premise could become predictable.[3]
The show was given a 65 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews.[8] David Hinckley of the New York Daily News gave the show three stars out of five, saying "The cast here nails their roles, from Wilson down to support players like Emmy winner Margo Martindale as his loyal assistant, Rita. Ehle has a much trickier role and handles it well. It’s a show that wants to say something. Now it needs viewers who want to listen."[9] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said "with just a few tiny modifications, A Gifted Man could be a smart satiric comedy, but I don’t think that is what Grant is shooting for," poking fun at Julie Benz's character's cosmic beliefs and dysfunctional family.[10] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe compared the show to Grey's Anatomy, saying "[the show] needs to transcend that limited and overused construct, and set the characters free from endless debate over whether Anna is real or not. Let the actors find drama in more earthly concerns. I think they’re up to it."[11] Robert Bianco of USA Today says "Wilson has the magnetism and acting chops to lead a network series. [Gifted Man] could not have been given better actors. It needs to give them better in return."[12] Phil Dyess-Nugent and Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the pilot a B rating.[13]
References
- ↑ Rice, Lynette (June 29, 2011). "CBS announces fall premiere dates". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 10, 2012). "'A Gifted Man' Canceled by CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- 1 2 3 Fienberg, Daniel (July 2, 2011). "Take Me To The Pilots '11: CBS' 'A Gifted Man'". HitFix. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Person of Interest, Unforgettable, A Gifted Man, How to Be a Gentleman and Two Broke Girls Trailers from CBS". MovieWeb. May 19, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 23, 2011). "TV Castings: Actors Join 'A Gifted Man', 'Outlaw Country' & 'Weeds'". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (July 7, 2011). "'Twilight' vamp cast in CBS medical drama". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2011). "'A Gifted Man' Gets 3-Episode Back Order". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ↑ "A Gifted Man : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ↑ Hinckley, David (September 23, 2011). "'A Gifted Man' review: Doctor drama stars Patrick Wilson as surgeon who talks to dead wife Anna". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ↑ McNamara, Mary (September 23, 2011). "Television review: 'A Gifted Man'". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Gilbert, Matthew (September 23, 2011). "'A Gifted Man' needs to rise above ghost story". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ↑ Bianco, Robert (September 22, 2011). "'Gifted Man' cast boxed in by script". USA Today. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ↑ Dyess-Nugent, Phil; VanDerWerff, Todd (September 23, 2011). "A Gifted Man". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 13, 2012.