Nurses (Canadian TV series)

Canadian TV series

This article is about the 2020 nurse drama. For the 1991 medical sitcom that is a spin-off of NBC's The Golden Girls, see Nurses (American TV series). For the 2019 medical drama, see Nurses (Colombian TV series).

Nurses

Genre| Medical drama
Starring|

* Tiera Skovbye
* Natasha Calis
* Jordan Johnson-Hinds
* Sandy Sidhu
* Donald Maclean Jr.

Country of origin| Canada
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 20
Production
Executive producers|

* Ilana Frank
* Linda Pope
* Vanessa Piazza
* Adam Pettle
* Jocelyn Hamilton
* Tassie Cameron
* Julie Puckrin

Production locations| Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Production companies|

* ICF Films
* eOne Canada
* Corus Entertainment

Original release
Network| Global
Release| January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06) –
August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)

Nurses is a Canadian drama television series that premiered on Global on January 6, 2020.[1][2] Nurses was created by much of the same team behind the series Rookie Blue, including Ilana Frank, Adam Pettle, Vanessa Piazza and Tassie Cameron.[3] The series was renewed for a second season by Global in early 2020.[4][5]

NBC ran the first season in the United States beginning on December 7, 2020, due to the shortage of programs during the lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States,[3] but did not pick up the second season. In March 2023, it was confirmed that the series had been cancelled by Global and NBC.

## Premise

[edit]

The series centers on a group of nurses at a busy downtown Toronto hospital.[6]

## Cast and characters

[edit]

### Main

[edit]

* Tiera Skovbye as Grace Knight[7]
* Natasha Calis as Ashley Collins[7][8]
* Jordan Johnson-Hinds as Keon Colby[7]
* Sandy Sidhu as Nazneen Khan[7][4]
* Donald Maclean Jr. as Wolf Burke[7]

### Recurring

[edit]

* Cathy White as Sinead O'Rourke[7]
* Ryan-James Hatanaka as Dr. Evan Wallace[7]
* Tristan D. Lalla as Damien Sanders[9]
* Nicola Correia-Damude as Dr. Vanessa Banks[7]
* Raymond Ablack as Kabir Pavan
* Alexandra Ordolis as Caro[citation needed]
* Trish Fagan as Dr. Rori Niven
* Peter Stebbings as Dr. Thomas Hamilton
* Ryan Blakely as Red
* Jordan Connor as Matteo Rey
* Rachael Ancheril as Kate Faulkner
* Katie Uhlmann as Candy Kemper
* Matt Gordon as Dr. Mike Goldwyn
* Humberly González as Dr. Ivy Turcotte

## Production

[edit]

The series is produced by Corus Entertainment, which partnered with ICF Films and eOne in association with Piazza Entertainment.[6] It was renewed for a second season by Global, which went into production in March 2020.[4][5] As of October 2022, there had yet to be an announcement for a third season. In March 2023, it was announced that the series had been quietly cancelled according to TVSeriesFinale.com, and the show ending production with no further renewal announcements made by Global or NBC for a third season.

## Episodes

[edit]

### Series overview

[edit]

Season| Episodes| Originally released

|
|

First released| Last released
1| 10| January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06)| March 20, 2020 (2020-03-20)
2| 10| June 21, 2021 (2021-06-21)| August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)

### Season 1 (2020)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date| Prod.
code| Canadian viewers
(millions)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1| 1| "Incoming"| Ken Girotti| Adam Pettle| January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06)| 363634-1| 1.26[11]

Grace Knight struggles with an ethical dilemma when she realizes, after several patients are brought in following a vehicle-ramming attack, that the patient she is treating was the attacker.[10] Keon Colby bonds with a single pregnant woman and helps her feel less lonely. Ashley Collins learns that working in a hospital is not all excitement when she is assigned to directing calls. Wolf Burke spends the whole shift tracking down the patient whose severed fingers are in his possession. Nazneen Khan spends time with the mother of a brain-dead patient.

2| 2| "Undisclosed Conditions"| Ken Girotti| Julie Puckrin| January 13, 2020 (2020-01-13)| 363634-2| 1.09[12]

Grace struggles with the ethical implications of keeping a patient's condition from her family. Keon is reunited with an old college friend whose wife he is treating, which brings up old memories. Wolfe tries to get through to a teenaged girl by revealing a secret of his own. Naz is embarrassed about her upbringing, which left her lacking in certain skills. Ashley becomes antagonistic toward Grace and finally discovers why she was fired from her previous job.

3| 3| "Friday Night Legend"| Kelly Makin| Renee St. Cyr| January 20, 2020 (2020-01-20)| 363634-3| 0.96[13]

Ashley struggles after losing her first patient. Naz tries to get through to a patient who refuses medical treatment to preserve her career. With the help of Keon, Grace identifies a John Doe patient who is acting violently. Grace finds out that a hospital merger in the city might force her to work with someone who caused her great trauma.

4| 4| "Chrysalis"| Kelly Makin| Eilis Kirwan| January 27, 2020 (2020-01-27)| 363634-4| N/A

Grace mediates between a patient's partner and son while adjusting to the unwanted arrival of the new hospital CEO.

5| 5| "What Size Are Your Feet?"
"Critical Care"[14]| Jordan Canning| Seneca Aaron| February 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)| 363634-5| N/A

As Dr. Hamilton makes his presence felt at St. Mary's, Grace is catapulted into a high-stakes medical procedure, while trying to protect Naz from a dangerous situation.

6| 6| "Risky Behaviour"| Winnie Jong| Anusree Roy| February 10, 2020 (2020-02-10)| 363634-6| N/A

As Grace cares for a patient consumed by grief she's forced to confront her own fears.

7| 7| "Lifeboat"| Sherry White| Eilis Kirwan & Renee St. Cyr| February 17, 2020 (2020-02-17)| 363634-7| N/A

Ashley and Caro explore past relationships and contemplate their own future. Meanwhile, Naz tries to balance her emotional connection to a patient with his medical needs.

8| 8| "Achilles Heel"| Grant Harvey| Laura Good| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)| 363634-8| N/A

A young Hasidic Jewish patient is in need of bone graft from a deceased donor after suffering a leg injury playing basketball.

9| 9| "Mirror Box"| Stephanie Morgenstern| Julie Puckrin| March 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)| 363634-9| N/A

As she assists a patient that is quarantined from the rest of the hospital, Grace makes a major discovery in the fight against Dr Hamilton.

10| 10| "Lady Business"| Grant Harvey| Adam Pettle & Lee Piazza| March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)| 363634-10| N/A

As the battle against Dr Hamilton reaches its climax, Grace cares for an Instagram celebrity whose upcoming operation strikes at the core of her identity.

### Season 2 (2021)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date| Prod.
code| Canadian viewers
(millions)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

11| 1| "A Thousand Battles"| Kelly Makin| Patrick Tarr| June 21, 2021 (2021-06-21)| 363634-17| 0.68[15]

A hospital is a battlefield, as our 5 favorite nurses attack another season. But there's a new general in town - nurse manager Kate Faulkner, who's going to give them all a run for their money.

12| 2| "Chaos Magnet"| Thom Best| Adam Pettle| June 28, 2021 (2021-06-28)| 363634-16| N/A

It's a typically crazy day at St Mary's when an Amber Alert rings out, but unbeknownst to our nurses the perpetrator and the abducted child are in the hospital.

13| 3| "Night Moves"| Winnifred Jong| Ley Lukins| July 5, 2021 (2021-07-05)| 363634-20| N/A

Hospitals are no stranger to the things that keep us up at night or the secrets we keep, as the strange gets stranger on the night shift at St Mary's.

14| 4| "It's Showtime"| Kelly Makin| Anusree Roy| July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18)| 363634-26| 0.53[16]

A high-profile surgical case brings Grace and Ashley into conflict over whether or not the surgeon is capable of performing the surgery.

15| 5| "Code Orange"| Winnifred Jong| Julie Puckrin| July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25)| 363634-25| 0.58[17]

When a tragic accident at a concert suddenly puts St Mary's in a Code Orange, our nurses will realise how important it is to have someone in your corner, because no one should be alone.

16| 6| "Ghosts"| Jordan Canning| Seneca Aaron| August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01)| 363634-18| 0.56[18]

Ghosts from the past make a day at St Mary's especially trying for our nurses as they're each confronted by people or things they tried to leave behind.

17| 7| "Prima Facie"| Chell Stephen| Eilis Kirwan| August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08)| 363634-24| 0.62[19]

It's Nursing Week and St Mary's nurses and patients alike are confronted by the fact that everyone has a hidden side, and that nothing can be taken at face value.

18| 8| "Best Day Ever"| John Fawcett| Laura Good & Hayden Simpson| August 15, 2021 (2021-08-15)| 363634-19| 0.59[20]

Assigned to the Burn Unit, Naz and Grace are pushed to their limits as Nurses - and friends - when they disagree over how to deal with a critically burned patient who's in danger of losing his will to live.

19| 9| "The Wish Factory"| Cory Bowles| Patrick Tarr| August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22)| 363634-22| 0.53[21]

With uncertainty in their personal lives and a pandemic on the horizon, our nurses each deal with people longing for wishes to come true for their health or their loved ones, but they're wishes that may not be in the power of a nurse to grant.

20| 10| "Struck"| John Fawcett| Adam Pettle| August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)| 363634-23| 0.50[22]

With both patients and the whole Healthcare system on the brink of tragic events, the St Mary's nursing team must put their own struggles aside to help those with everything on the line.

## Broadcast

[edit]

The series premiered on January 6, 2020, on Global in Canada.[1][2]

From May 2020, the series was broadcast by Net5 in the Netherlands.[23]

On November 10, 2020, Nurses was picked up by NBC in the United States for a December 7, 2020 premiere.[3][24]

The series debuted in Romania on the channel Diva on September 20, 2020, under the title "Asistenți medicali".[25]

The series premiered in September 2021 exclusively on Globoplay in Brazil.

## Controversy over "Achilles Heel" episode

[edit]

The show's portrayal of Hasidic Jews in a plotline of the "Achilles Heel" episode was labeled as antisemitic by members of the Jewish community. In the episode, when the Hasidic Jewish patient is checked in for his leg injury, the patient's father objects to who the dead donor's bone graft might come from (along with his son participating in sports, in an extreme portrayal of a Hasidic archetype) and says "a goyim leg. From anyone. An Arab, a woman?" The patient then refuses the bone graft procedure. In reality, Jewish law has no objections or prohibitions against such a procedure.[26]

Seffi Kogen of the American Jewish Committee called the scene 'the most antisemitic thing I have ever seen in a TV show", and that Jewish law "puts precedent on healing and saving lives [and] there is no prohibition on the kind of bone graft in this clip."[26] B’nai Brith Canada said the portrayal "perpetuates false and dangerous antisemitic stereotypes" and called for the producers to apologize.[27] The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement, "the writers of this scene check all the boxes of ignorance and pernicious negative stereotypes" and that "Orthodox Jews are targeted for violent hate crimes – in the city of New York, Jews are number one target of hate crimes in US; this is no slip of the tongue. It was a vile, cheap attack masquerading as TV drama."[28]

In response, NBC pulled the episode from their digital platforms.[29] The episode was also removed domestically in Canada by Global parent company Corus from Global's website and viewing apps, with no plans to air it in repeats in the future.[30]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Atad, Corey (November 12, 2019). "New Medical Drama 'Nurses' Joins Global's Winter 2020 Lineup". ET Canada. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019.
2. ^ a b Yeo, Debra (April 4, 2019). "Here are the actors starring in Global TV's Nurses". Toronto Star.
3. ^ a b c Roots, Kimberly (November 10, 2020). "NBC Acquires Canadian Medical Drama Nurses, From Saving Hope and Rookie Blue EPs — Find Out When It'll Premiere". TVLine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
4. ^ a b c Furminger, Sabrina (January 8, 2020). "Vancouver actress stars in Global TV's new drama, Nurses". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
5. ^ a b "Season 2 of Global's Hit Medical Drama Nurses Begins Production March 2" (Press release). Global Television. February 20, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 – via Newswire.ca.
6. ^ a b Furdyk, Brent (April 4, 2019). "Global Announces New Medical Drama 'Nurses'". ET Canada. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h David, Greg (November 12, 2019). "Medical Drama Nurses Premieres January 6 On Global". TV, eh?. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
8. ^ Liszewski, Bridget (January 13, 2020). "Nurses' Natasha Calis on What Ashley May Be Hiding Under That Rough Exterior". The TV Junkies. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
9. ^ "The star of Global's "Nurses" talks about his new role". Global News. February 5, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
10. ^ Doyle, John (January 8, 2020). "Medical drama Nurses kicks off with a van-attack plot that's just trite". The Globe and Mail.
11. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): January 06, 2020 - January 12, 2020" (PDF). Numeris. January 2020.
12. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): January 13, 2020 - January 19, 2020" (PDF). Numeris. January 2020.
13. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): January 20, 2020 - January 26, 2020" (PDF). Numeris. January 2020.
14. ^ Critical Care (2019 - 60 min) - ISAN
15. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): June 21, 2021 - June 21, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. July 6, 2021.
16. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): July 12, 2021 – July 18, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. July 28, 2021.
17. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): July 19, 2021 – July 25, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. August 3, 2021.
18. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): July 26, 2021 – August 1, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. August 10, 2021.
19. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): August 2, 2021 – August 8, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. August 17, 2021.
20. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): August 9, 2021 – August 15, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. August 24, 2021.
21. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): August 16, 2021 – August 22, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. August 31, 2021.
22. ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): August 23, 2021 – August 29, 2021" (PDF). Numeris. September 8, 2021.
23. ^ "Nurses Seizoen 1 aflevering 1". Net5. 13 May 2020.
24. ^ White, Peter (November 10, 2020). "NBC Buys Canadian Medical Drama 'Nurses' From eOne, Adds To Primetime Schedule From December". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
25. ^ "Trailer for 'NURSES' in Romania". YouTube. 14 September 2020.
26. ^ a b Flood, Brian (2021-02-24). "NBC under fire for 'anti-Semitic' scene in 'Nurses' on heels of widely condemned 'SNL' joke". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
27. ^ "B'nai Brith Demands Action over Antisemitic Content on Canadian TV Show". B'nai Brith Canada. 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
28. ^ FELDMAN, KATE (25 February 2021). "NBC pulls 'Nurses' episode over accusations of anti-Semitism". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
29. ^ DeNinno, Nadine (24 February 2021). "NBC pulls 'Nurses' episode accused of being anti-Semitic". New York Post. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
30. ^ "Global pulls 'Nurses' episode after scene with Orthodox Jews deemed anti-Semitic". Canadian Press. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Nurses at IMDb
* Nurses at NBC
* Nurses at epguides

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