Netflix has a lot of content on its virtual shelves, but it’s missing something so huge that it’s almost shocking.
They have no original medical drama for their subscribers.
Pulse will change all that.
Netflix announced today that Carlton Cuse and Zoe Robyn will team up for the new show, which already has its first star attached.
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Justina Machado is the first person to join the cast as a series regular.
This isn’t Netflix’s first foray into the procedural space, although their procedurals tend to have season-long arcs.
The Lincoln Lawyer, The Diplomat, and The Night Agent all have touches of procedural dramas in them, even if they don’t focus on episodes of the week.
Whether Pulse falls more in line with what we know as procedural content or not remains to be seen.
Cuse has an incredible array of content that could be seen as procedural adjacent.
His work includes Lost, The Strain, Bates Motel, Colony, Locke & Key, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
Robyn has worked on Hawaii Five-0 and The Equalizer, which puts her broadly in the procedural field.
Robyn created and executive produces the new show, while Cuse will act as showrunner and executive producer. It seems like a good professional match.
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Here’s the logline for Pulse:
While the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigates medical emergencies, young ER doc Dani Simms is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.
Machado plays “Natalie Cruz,” a brilliant and politically-savvy doctor who oversees both administration and medicine in her role as the Chair of Surgery and Emergency Medicine.
Plenty of shows have been set in Miami, including Dexter, Burn Notice, Magic City, CSI: Miami, and Miami Vice. The only medical show was Miami Medical, a CBS series that ran from April to July of 2010 before it was canceled.
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So, yes, Miami and trauma medicine are ripe for exciting storytelling.
Miami is a sprawling urban area truly unique to the US, and its population and popularity as a tourist destination invite many possibilities.
Medical shows now are more landlocked, less urban, and encompass more than just trauma — Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med, for example.
ER focused on trauma almost exclusively, and more recently, we had Code Black, which was one of the best ER-related medical series we’ve ever had and was lost far too soon.
What do you think?
Are you ready for Netflix to get into the world of medical procedurals?
Drop your thoughts below!
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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.