The Shows I Chose to Watch
For this assignment, I decided to choose the following three shows: House, M.D., Scrubs, and Quincy, M.E. All of them are associated with medicine, and each one has a medical worker as the main character. However, while all of the shows are connected with medical melodrama, they are different in what concerns the genre.
House, M.D. features an arrogant but brilliant doctor Gregory House who has an outstanding talent to make the right diagnosis and by doing so, to save people’s lives(“Autopsy”). The team of professionals working with House consists of several doctors belonging to the diagnostic team. Each episode tells the story of a mysterious case that only the House is able to solve. With the help of his wits and intuition, this doctor helps many people to obtain a chance for many more years of life.
Unlike House, M.D., Scrubs is a mostly comical TV show, where the emphasis is not put on patients and saving their lives but on the interns’ and doctors’ personal affairs. The main character is Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian, who is also the voice of the series (“Scrubs – My Super Ego”). Some of the staff members are regular, and some are changing in different episodes. The main idea is to reflect the life of a young doctor through the prism of J.D.’s point of view.
Quincy, M.E. is closer to House, M.D. than to Scrubs (“Quincy ME S02 E01 02 Snake Eyes”). In this TV show, the main character is the medical expert Quincy whose job is to investigate the unusual cases and find out the reason for people’s death. Quincy combines the characteristics of a doctor and a detective.
The Reason Why I Chose These Shows
I chose these three TV shows because they portray medical melodrama rather well. Each of them has a different approach, but all in all, these three shows are a great representation of medical melodrama.
In House, M.D., the main hero is fighting with the evil that is represented by dangerous diseases. Doctor House may not be the sweetest person on Earth, but his kindness is expressed in other ways. He is rude and seems uncompassionate, but it is his activity that saves the lives of many patients. Thus, House, M.D. shows the traditional feature of melodrama – the opposition between the good and the evil, where the good always wins.
The reason why Scrubs is a melodrama is its portrayal of people’s feelings and affairs. All kinds of events – happy and sad, funny and serious, silly and inspirational – are included in this TV show. The melodramatic character of the series is present even in its title, which is the play of words meaning both a surgical uniform and an inexperienced person. Scrubs has some elements of a slapstick comedy, which is also the reason why it may be concerned with a melodramatic show.
The melodrama in Quincy, M.E., just like in House, M.D., is in the fight between the good and the evil. The main character is doing everything possible to fight the villains in each of the episodes. The hero is wise and shrewd, he does not get distracted from his aim easily, and he does not make any allowances. His purpose is to find and punish the villain, which he always does due to his exceptional analytical features.
Therefore, all of these TV shows are different, but the melodramatic component is what connects them.
Works Cited
“Autopsy.” YouTube, uploaded by NBCUvinersalShows. Web.
“Quincy ME S02 E01 02 Snake Eyes.” YouTube. 2016. Web.
“Scrubs – My Super Ego.” YouTube, uploaded by ABCTVONDEMAND. 2012. Web.