By Jonathan Landrum Jr.
ATLANTA (AP) --USA Network's new show "Complications" isn't the typical medical drama.
True, the story involves an emergency room doctor, his trusty nurse and a bunch of medical jargon. But the series is more of a dark thriller, merging the worlds of street crime and medicine together.
"The most interesting stuff happens outside of the hospital. There's a lot of depth here with a lot of dilemmas," said Jason O'Mara, the star of "Complications," which premieres at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday on USA.
O'Mara plays John Ellison, an ER doctor struggling to cope with his daughter's recent death. While out driving, he randomly witnesses a drive-by shooting between rival gang members and takes vigilante measures to save a young boy's life. Ellison's noble act ultimately places him in the middle of a bloody gang war.
Ellison enlists the help of Gretchen Polk (Jessica Szohr), a so-called reckless but capable nurse with a checkered past.
"John and Gretchen are on the same page, but on two different paragraphs," said Szohr, who starred in the teen drama "Gossip Girl." ''She comes from a hard and broken up past. She's made a change, but still be kind of a loose cannon. She wants to help save people. That's where John and Gretchen balance each other out."
Series creator Matt Nix was inspired by two different real life incidents: Ten years ago, he confronted a gang member who invaded his Los Angeles home, then made the impulse decision to follow the intruder and get his license plate. The intruder was eventually caught, as Nix built a relationship with LAPD and learned more about the prominent gangs in his neighborhood.
Nix took what he learned there and combined his understanding of emergency medicine, garnered as a teenage volunteer at the local hospital.
"It was really stupid and dangerous, and I'm still unsure why I did it," Nix said. "I actually made friends with the guy. But I was interested in making those split-second decisions that could affect your life hugely. So with everything I learned as a volunteer, I wanted to show how a doctor would deal with situations inside of the hospital and of the world that are non-medical."
Nix, the creator and executive producer of USA's "Burn Notice," said his primary inspiration for O'Mara's character was to turn a doctor into a "humanized superhero."
"We all know that Batman doesn't exist in the real world," Nix said. "But if there was a Batman, I think it would be an ER doctor. It would be somebody that engages with danger and violence on a daily basis. He wants to stop it and get his hands dirty. That's how we wanted to explore the nature of him being a hero. I wanted to turn an ER doctor into Batman."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTEยฎ,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
โSMPTEโs membership has spoken,โ said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann DโAmato. โThese officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!โ
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More