A Gifted Guy

Shot in NY by CBS Television Galleries. Executive producers, Neal Baer, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, Susannah Grant director, Jonathan Demme author, Grant.Michael Holt - Patrick Wilson Anna Paul - Jennifer Ehle Rita Perkins-Hall - Margo Martindale Anton - Pablo Schreiber Should you slice it lower to its bones (a suitable example for any medical program), "A Gifted Guy" owes a debt to "A Christmas Carol": The series features Patrick Wilson because the self-absorbed neurosurgeon who encounters a belated spiritual epiphany, unleashing do-gooder impulses that transform him from gifted bastard into something nearer to Dr. Kildare. The semi-religious component (embodied here through the ghost of doctor's past) will probably play well with CBS' heartland audience, however the long term prognosis dangles on if the series will find a pulse beyond just older audiences within an up-for-grabs Friday timeslot. Wilson's Dr. Michael Holt is arrogant and brilliant before an unexpected visit from his ex-wife Anna (Tony champion Jennifer Ehle). Yet that chance encounter assumes another hew when he finds out she died just before their meeting (why he did not learn about this earlier is really a mystery that is better left overlooked), leading him to provide his services for an overcome clinic his ex had championed. All of a sudden, Holt is showing a far more humane streak and carrying out professional bono surgical procedures -- a big change that is not lost on individuals around him, including his sister (Julie Benz) and office manager (Margo Martindale, designed for better stuff compared to pilot presents). Sis even enlists a spiritual guide ("The Wire's" Pablo Schreiber) to ascertain if there's a method to exorcise Anna's gh-gh-ghost. Produced by Susannah Grant and run by Neal Baer (a physician who done "ER" before "Law & Order: Special Sufferers Unit"), "A Gifted Guy" is unquestionably serious, inside a "Marcus Welby, M.D." type of way. Publish-purchase tinkering also enhanced the pilot, with Anna becoming Holt's conscience in ways that better describes her presence, while removing some humor using their only-he-sees-her encounters. Beyond creating the premise, the opener features three medical plots -Body in regards to a tennis prodigy, another dedicated to a hard patient (Bill Irwin) and lastly Michael's grudging efforts to assist an unwell kid. It's tricky, but fairly effective. Granted, there is an abundance of medical shows built around wish-fulfillment dreams of doctors who truly care, with nary a reference to insurance forms or HMOs. It is simply that medicine is continuing to grow more difficult as well as politically thorny. Most probably, the series' beating heart lies between two comforting notions -- the presence of a bigger spiritual world and also the good a committed physician can accomplish here on the planet once touched by an angel or implanted using the milk of human kindness. Whether there's enough material to sustain a set stemming from Michael's pivot toward greater generosity of spirit because of Anna's gentle prodding remains unclear. CBS' rankings anticipation can not be unreasonably high, and Wilson feels as though a star who many CBS audiences will think about not only as gifted but as "that nice-searching youthful guy." Nevertheless, individuals having a stake in "A Gifted Man's" fate must practice exactly the same regimen many follow because they have surgery: Put rely upon the surgeon, yes, but additionally pray for the aid of a greater energy.Camera, Tom Weston production designer, John Kasarda editors, Mark Manos, Michael Schweitzer, Nancy Forner casting, Bernard Telsey, Risa Bramon Garcia. 60 MIN.With: Julie Benz, Bill Irwin. Contact John Lowry at john.lowry@variety.com