"Three Rivers"

As you may know, I am a big fan of Pittsburgh.  Partly it is due to growing up there but part of it is due to my habit of rooting for the underdog.  But aside from those emotional issues I think it is a beautiful city.  I also admire the Pittsburgh Symphony as one of the great in the world. 

Last night, CBS premiered "Three Rivers" a medical drama based in a hospital specializing in transplants.  This makes sense given that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is one of the major transplant centers in the country.  3R is one of those medical dramas where we learn about the personal lives of the patients and maybe eventually we will learn that all of the staff are sleeping with each other.  The only actor I knew of in the show was Alfre Woodard as the hospital administrator.  Apprently she is a physician also (like Cutty on "House").  I always think that this a tremendous waste of medical knowledge and realize that others trained to be hospital administrators are better at it.  I am biased because I once replaced a physician as a hospital administrator and thought I did a better job than him. Go figure.

I did not see anyone in the cast who was over 30.  Amazing- maybe that accounts for how wooden their perfromances were.  There was also a husband whose wife and child were in danger because she needed a heart transplant.  He was so unconvincing and I never felt that he was really upset since he seemed to have a Geroge W. Bush smirk.  The hospital facilities were beautiful and they had a computer system like in "CSI Miami" where everything appeared on a wall and all control was achieved by hand movement.  I understand that such technology is several years away, but it is an easy way to show patient records to the audience. 

The shots of Pittsburgh were wonderful and showed what a beautiful city it is.  The flyovers were particularly good. 

The show was sort of a nodder.  I couldn't muster enthusiam for any of the characters or situations.  As much as House is one of the most dysfunctinal characters in prime time, the show's humor and edge are appealing.  "Three Rivers"- not so much.