What did you think of Nurse Jackie?

Anyone watch Nurse Jackie on Monday night? I don't have Showtime but I love Edie Falco so I watched the full ep on YouTube. In less capable hands, this show could have sucked (or ended up looking like TNT's upcoming and uncompelling HawthoRNe, which I have a screener for but can't bring myself to watch just yet).

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What did you think of Nurse Jackie?

POSTED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: TV Watch

Anyone watch Nurse Jackie on Monday night? I don't have Showtime but I love Edie Falco so I watched the full ep on YouTube. In less capable hands, this show could have sucked (or ended up looking like TNT's upcoming and uncompelling HawthoRNe, which I have a screener for but can't bring myself to watch just yet).

Falco is one tough broad and she's never be afraid to play unlikable. A major theme throughout the episode (and I figure the series) is the idea that all good people have some bad in them. So, Jackie can advocate for patients or help a pregnant girl whose boyfriend was accidentally killed by a doctor, but she's still a philandering, pill-popping bitch. Falco loves and revels in her character's duality ' from the way she talks ("Quiet and mean, those are my people. I don't do chatty," she tells student nurse Zoey in her great, accented deadpan) to her haircut to the way she stalks down the hallways. The success of this first episode is a testament to Falco's talent. My favorite scene last one only seconds: Jackie is yelling at a hot-shot doc (Peter Facinelli) and he grabs her tit as a nervous tic. She doesn't burst out screaming. Instead, her eyes drop to his hand; his mouth is agape, her stare is full of loathing. He starts to apologize and she brushes him off. It's short, but it's a scene only an actress of her caliber could truly pull off.

Showtime seems to be making a name for itself with these quirky, half-hour dramedies like Weeds and The United States of Tara (which I haven't seen yet, but it's already on my Netflix queue), just as HBO did with its hour-long dramas (everyone rightfully sings the praises of The Wire and The Sopranos, but go watch Deadwood now). Heather Havrilesky, who writes the amazingly funny I Like to Watch column for Salon, notes all of this in her review and brings up the interesting point that while the half-hour dramedy is of recent vintage, it doesn't lend itself to the type of character development necessary for a truly compelling drama. Because Havrilesky is a TV critic, she gets a look at the full season (I got only a sense of the characters arcs forming in the first half hour), but her points are salient nonetheless:

Obviously if "Nurse Jackie" were more of a comedy and less of a drama, it might not feel like a problem. It's not as if we demand to understand the motivations and inner workings of Jack Donaghy of "30 Rock" or Michael Scott of "The Office." But a dramedy faces the unfortunate challenge of having to walk a line between believability and farce.

This makes me wary for the rest of the season, especially because I think Weeds has this problem. Every season saves itself because it's not simply a character study, but I'll still probably watch the rest when it comes out on DVD. Any of you guys watch it? What did you think?

Jeanette RN

Posted 2009-06-12 18:33:28

This show is just another example of stereotyped, fictional, nurses. Talk to some real trauma nurses with real drama. The first episode is a classic characature of hospitals and nurses. There are so many nurse authors out there, ready and able to script a real show about real issues. This was a bunch of horse-hockey.

:HAn.

Posted 2009-06-13 18:39:15

So what if its only a 30 minute drama? It will just take 2x as long to get the characters developed. With TiVo, Netflix, iTunes Store, etc., people are tending towards watching blocks of shows in a row anyway, so I really dont see this as a problem.

Daughter of RN

Posted 2009-07-30 02:56:12

Seriously? Why do people get so worked up about the scripts?? IT'S CALLED ENTERTAINMENT PEOPLE!!! If you want realistic watch a fucking documentary. I love Nurse Jackie. Dr Cooper is funny and I love Jackie's compassionate side and her bitchy side.

diane aubie

Posted 2009-07-31 10:18:05

I love this show! I'm a nurse for more than 30 years. Yes, the show stretches and bends reality but you know the essence, spirit and drain of nursing is there. It's not reality tv -- thank God -- it's pure entertainment and we all need more of that. diane toronto

alan

Posted 2009-08-02 22:08:27

Gee a gay male nurse, real original. I find the show heavy on stereo types and typical with multiple stupid males having their penis's subjected pain and humilation from shooting fire works out of their butts and burning thier scrotums to yanking a cath out because she was having a bad day, then she is having an affair and addicted to drugs....all part of the harmless fun that sets the bar high for society...its trash entertainment

bala kulasi

Posted 2010-01-24 10:51:08

I have only seen this show once,I told my wife about it....how funny it was,to my surprise...she watched it before me..It was funny..I cannot wait to see the next episode...We need this kind of show,Robin Williams..is normally the one who would have this kind of humour.....MORE OF NURSE JACKIE PLEAseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

horse

Posted 2010-11-04 16:43:57

what is worng with you horse hockey whay???!!!1

horse

Posted 2010-11-04 16:46:00

nurse junkie characature is a stong welled woman who doesnt take shit from any one we should all be lilter mor stong welled and not be afraid of things we dont understand oh and its just a show chill out

horse

Posted 2010-11-04 16:47:11

its kind of realistic

horse

Posted 2010-11-04 16:48:31

damn it typo jackie

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