Tonight FOX airs the first half of the two night premiere of the new medical series The Resident, which takes a look at the darker drama happening behind-the-scenes at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. The series follows recent Harvard Medical School graduate, the wide-eyed young Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal, Halt and Catch Fire), as he embarks on his new internship at the hospital. As he arrives on the first day, Dr. Pravesh learns that his supervisor will be hot shot third year resident Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry, Gilmore Girls), who has a reputation for being a bit of a jerk. As Dr. Hawkins uses tough love to teach his new intern the ropes, Dr. Pravesh quickly discovers that for these doctors, the ethical lines for treating patients are blurred.

Meanwhile, Dr. Conrad constantly finds himself dealing with problems caused by the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story). The aging chief refuses to acknowledge that he’s no longer the sharp surgeon he once was. He often puts patients at unnecessary (and sometimes fatal) risk, and then uses his power to intimidate the other doctors into covering up his mistakes. Other staff members include Dr. Conrad’s former flame, nurse Nicolette “Nic” Nevin (Emily VanCamp, Everwood), and intelligent, gifted surgeon Dr. Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renée Wilson, Billions), who has no bedside manner and little patience for the chief. The series cast also includes Moran Atias (24: Legacy, Tyrant), Merrin Dungey (Big Little Lies), and Melina Kanakaredes (CSI: NY).

I really enjoyed tonight’s premiere. The series is fast-paced and mixes interesting medical cases with some really engaging character drama. It doesn’t seem like this series will be a simple case-of-the-week type medical procedural. A lot of the focus is on the drama going on behind the scenes at this hospital as the doctors struggle to fix the broken system, starting with how to deal with this chief who is putting lives in danger while hiding behind his notoriety, fame and power. The series looks beautiful, and has a very cinematic feel to it, making use of some creative camera angles, including a scene shot from the P.O.V. of the patient. The cast is great, and I really look forward to seeing what happens next, when the series moves to it’s regular timeslot tomorrow night!

In tonight’s premiere, “Pilot”, on his first day as an intern, an idealistic Dr. Devon Pravesh faces the harsh realities of medical care; resident Conrad Hawkins teaches him unconventional methods for treating patients; Conrad goes head-to-head with Dr. Solomon Bell.

Note: Tonight’s premiere will follow the football game, so be sure to pad your DVR recording for the inevitable sports run-over.

Tonight I’ll also be watching/recording Worst Cooks in America, The Alienist, Crashing, and Counterpart.

For additional suggestions on what to check out tonight, including Counterpart, check out the If We Controlled Your Remote… 1/21/18 post at TVisMyPacifier.com.