Royal Pains follows Hank Lawson, a New York doctor who takes off for a Hamptons vacation with his brother after being fired for letting a hospital big wig die. Tired of hospital politics and bummed after not only getting fired but his fiancé dumping him as well, Hank was not prepared to jump back into work or love, but discovers both are ready to find him in the Hamptons.
Hank's spirited but reserved character is perfectly balanced out with his off-the-wall brother Evan who's usual enthusiasm for parties and women (which doesn't entirely stop) is redirected into starting and running a conseriage doctor business for Hank. With new medical cases every week plus friendships and love interests picked up along the way, Royal Pains is full of colorful and fun characters and storylines as well.
USA’s “Royal Pains” debuted two weeks ago to just so-so reviews. The Newark Star Ledger's Alan Sepinwall summed it up this way: “Premiering immediately after ‘Burn Notice,’ ‘Royal Pains’ can’t help but suffer in comparison, but it’s not a bad summer diversion."
While one thing I really enjoy about Royal Pains is that the medical cases aren't the point of the episodes, I did really enjoy the case this week in TB or Not TB.
This week's main case was around an owner and chef of a restaurant having some strange moments of being unable to speak, and then later being unable to remember people and events. While the medical part of this was interesting, as has become normal for Royal Pains episodes, the greatest part was Hank needing to do something crazy with random household (or restaurant) items, as well as forming a friendship with the patient.
But the relationship grown with the chef was by far not the only relationship of interest this week! It's only been four episodes, but I've been impatiently awaiting Hank and Jill getting together, or at least getting a first date. And so they did, though it was no ordinary date, just as I was hoping!
I think the greatest aspect of USA Network shows is that they're on the edge of being cute, but have just the right balance of fun and drama without taking it over to cutesy.
They're made for a lighter dramedy fix, and Royal Pains is fitting in perfectly!
So this week in 'Strategic Planning', we didn't get much Hank-Jill development like I was hoping, but that's worth moving along slowly anyway, so it will do.
USA's new hit show, Royal Pains, is more than filling the void of the usual summertime lull, but now we hear we might be heading for twice the fun with a possible crossover with fellow network show Burn Notice.
We decided to call upon concierge doctor Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), while shooting in the Hamptons, to get the dirt on what's in store for his practice, HankMed, for Hank's relationship with Jill (Jill Flint) and for getting the gorgeous Jeffrey Donovan to the Hamptons pronto.
What initially attracted you to Royal Pains? Imagine you're me, an actor who's been in and out of TV shows and movies for 10 or more years and someone comes to you with a script and says you can play a comedic and dramatic lead in a series on the most successful network on cable right now, and every day you'll go to work in the most beautiful location on the East Coast, if not in the country, and every day you'll be surrounded by awesome, beautiful, cool people. What are you going to say? Are you going to say no? You're going to say yes! It's the dream job.
We see Royal Pains as a summer show taking place in the Hamptons. What will happen if you are picked up for a second season? Does Hank leave the Hamptons for the winter? So in the episode that we're shooting, I'm going to give you a slightly sneak peek at one thing that happens. There will be some rocky roads ahead for Jill and Hank as a couple. In that dialogue I do say something to her like, "When I met you, I had a job that I loved and a woman that I thought I loved, and if you told me then that I'd be here now doing this, I would say you're crazy." And then I say to her, "I cannot tell you where I'll be after Labor Day." So the line, "I cannot tell you where I'll be after Labor Day," is a good indication that not only does Hank not know what's going to happen to him next, but neither do I.
