The producers of the new ABC medical series "MDs" insist that — despite appearances — they weren't trying to mimic "M*A*S*H." But it's not like they're running away from the comparison.
The new show, which premieres tonight at 9 on Ch. 4, centers on two unorthodox-but-brilliant surgeons who are unrepentant bad boys and ladies' men.
"You can't make a medical show that has a comedic bent that has two surgeons in the lead and not think about 'M*A*S*H,' " said executive producer Gerry Teiche. "And if we get compared to that, that's a comparison I would love."
The series opens with Dr. Robert Dalgety (John Hannah of "The Mummy") making love to a hospital staffer in a storage closet. As it turns out, he's also an accomplished trauma surgeon who pals around with Dr. Bruce Kellerman (William Fitcher) as they attempt to make end-runs around hospital bureaucracy and meanies at HMOs.
But any similarities to "M*A*S*H" are purely coincidental, of course.
"MDs" isn't "M*A*S*H." It isn't nearly that well-done. Its quirkiness is more affected than effective.
Hannah is great in just about anything he does, but even he can't overcome dumb stuff like having the new hospital administrator (Leslie Stefanson) come with no medical experience — she's a former theme-park executive. And pronouncing a patient dead in the pilot in order to save her life is just, well, not exactly confidence-inspiring. What kind of weirdness will be see in episode 13.
If it makes it that far. Which is a pretty big if.
GOOD MORNING, MIAMI (Thursday, 8:30 p.m., Ch. 5): NBC's Thursday-night sitcom curse strikes again — this abomination is one of the worst new shows of the season.
What were they thinking? Well, maybe NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker thought it was funny because this sitcom about a young TV producer (Mark Feuerstein) who takes over a struggling morning news show echoes his own life — Zucker was a 26-year-old wunderkind when he became executive producer of "The Today Show."
Zucker was wrong. "Good Morning, Miami" is just awful.
Feuerstein plays Jake Silver, a seemingly smart guy who nonetheless takes this job in Miami despite the fact that the station manager (Jere Burns) is a weasel and the show is ridiculous — they have a nun (Brooke Dillman) doing weather forecasts. He does this because he has a crush on the hair stylist (Ashley Williams), only to learn that she's involved with the pompous host (Matt Letscher).
This is a show that employs the talents of Suzanne Pleshette ("Bob Newhart") and reduces her to spouting bad, inappropriate sex jokes. At least we know she actually has comedic talent — Feuerstein is not up to the task of headlining a sitcom. (He's already failed once with the deservedly short-lived "Conrad Bloom.")
And the producers of this show should be ashamed of the horrendous ethnic stereotype they're foisting on American viewers in the character of co-host Lucia Rojas-Miller (Tessie Santiago), a ditzy Cuban-American who speaks barely intelligible English and seems to be modeled on the Chiquita bananas girl.
Not that we should be surprised, perhaps. "Good Morning, Miami" comes to us from the producers of "Will & Grace," a show that ran out of ideas after its first season and has degenerated into an embarrassment. They've saved time with the new show — it starts out as an embarrassment.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com