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Nurse Jackie

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Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie intertitle
GenreMedical drama
Dark comedy
Created byEvan Dunsky
Liz Brixius
Linda Wallem
StarringEdie Falco
Eve Best
Peter Facinelli
Merritt Wever
Haaz Sleiman
Paul Schulze
Dominic Fumusa
Anna Deavere Smith
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCaryn Mandabach
John Melfi
Liz Brixius
Linda Wallem
Production locationNew York City
Camera setupSingle camera
Running timeapprox. 27 minutes
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseJune 8, 2009 –
present

Nurse Jackie is an American dark comedy series that premiered on June 8, 2009 on Showtime[1][2], Movie Central and The Movie Network.

The series stars Edie Falco as title character Jackie Peyton, a "flawed" emergency room nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City.[2][3][4][5] For Jackie, "Every day is a high wire act of juggling patients, doctors, fellow nurses and her own indiscretions."[2][6] Showtime says the half-hour series "is at turns wicked, heartbreaking and funny."[2][6]

Production

Nurse Jackie was created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky, with Brixius and Wallem serving as showrunners for the series and sharing executive producer duties with Caryn Mandabach[1][6] and John Melfi. Showtime initially ordered 12 episodes.[6] Before the series premiered, Brixius told the New York Daily News that "Guys' stories tend to be about conquests — getting the job, winning the Olympics, whatever. Women stories aren't as immediately climactic so they need to play out over the course of three months ... And every medical show out there has been about doctors. Doctors are absolutely unable to do what they have to do without nurses. We want to tell those stories."[1]

The June 8, 2009 series premiere was Showtime's most-successful premiere ever, with 1 million viewers for the premiere and over 350,000 for the repeat broadcast.[7] Showtime immediately picked up the series for a second season.[7] On March 25, 2010, it was announced that Showtime had renewed Nurse Jackie for a third season.[8]

Cast

Falco's Jackie is described by Showtime as a "strong-willed, iconoclastic New York City nurse juggling the frenzied grind of an urban hospital and an equally challenging personal life," noting that the character has "an occasional weakness for Vicodin and Adderall to get her through the days."[2] Other characters include Jackie's best friend at work, British Dr. O'Hara (Eve Best); Zoey (Merritt Wever), a jubilant first-year nursing student who "is the perfect foil for Jackie's sharp angles;"[3][9] Dr. Cooper (Peter Facinelli), "a likable 'golden boy' whose calm façade hides a nervous disposition;"[3] Eddie (Paul Schulze), a pharmacist with whom Jackie is having an affair;[3] and her gay coworker/friend, male nurse Mo-Mo (Haaz Sleiman).[10] Recurring characters include the officious hospital administrator, Mrs. Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith)[3] Jackie's bar-owner husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa),[9] as well as their daughters Grace (Ruby Jerins) and Fiona (Daisy Tahan season 1) (Mackenzie Aladjem season 2).

On December 22, 2009 Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly reported that Sleiman would not be returning for the second season.[11]

Actor Role Season
Edie Falco Jackie Peyton, R.N. 1–2
Eve Best Dr. Eleanor O'Hara 1–2
Merritt Wever Zoey Barkow 1–2
Paul Schulze Eddie Walzer 1–2
Peter Facinelli Dr. Fitch "Coop" Cooper 1–2
Dominic Fumusa Kevin Peyton 1–2
Anna Deavere Smith Mrs. Gloria Akalitus 1–2
Ruby Jerins Grace Peyton (recurring) 1–2
Stephen Wallem Thor (recurring) 1–2
Daisy Tahan Fiona Peyton 1
Mackenzie Aladjem 2
Haaz Sleiman Mohammed "Mo-Mo" de la Cruz 1
Arjun Gupta Sam (recurring) 2

Response

Critical response

The premiere of Nurse Jackie was met with generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the first episode a B+, stating "Edie Falco brings a genial forcefulness to Nurse Jackie."[12] New York magazine called the Showtime series "smart, acrid, alternately sharp and sentimental" and "the best series yet in the cable channel’s ongoing meditation on the nature of addiction ... and the setting for a truly breakthrough female character".[13] The Examiner agreed with a B+ rating, with the thought that, while not a saint, "[...] Jackie does make attempts. Despite her drug addiction due to chronic back pain and an adulterous affair with her habit enabling pharmacist, Jackie cares about her patients."[14] James Poniewozik from Time magazine ranked Nurse Jackie's episode "Tiny Bubbles" (106) as 5th on his Top 10 Episodes of 2009 list [15]. Reception was not entirely positive, with Variety noting, "The series increasingly feels like all style and limited substance – a star showcase that's less 'triumphant return' than 'Nice to have you back, but...'"[16]

Controversy

Soon after Nurse Jackie premiered, the New York State Nurses Association decried the unethical behavior of the title character, and the detrimental impression regarding nurses that such a portrayal could have on the public, stating, "In the first episode, Nurse Jackie is introduced as a substance abuser who trades sex with a pharmacist for prescription drugs ... She has no qualms about repeatedly violating the nursing Code of Ethics. Although Showtime describes her as a 'competent nurse,' one could argue that no competent nurse would behave this way."[17]

Awards and nominations

Golden Globe Awards

  • 2010 Nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

  • 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)

Episodes

Season 1: 2009

Episode Title Director
 Writer(s)
 Original airdate
101[18]"Pilot[18]"
Allen Coulter[18]Liz Brixius & Linda Wallem[18]
Evan Dunsky		June 8, 2009 (2009-06-08)
Veteran emergency room nurse Jackie Peyton navigates the traffic of Manhattan's All-Saints Hospital, embracing a subtle drug addiction and making tough and sometimes unethical and even illegal decisions for the "good" of her patients. Clashing with cocky young surgeon Dr. Fitch "Coop" Cooper and begrudgingly training naïve and perky new Nurse Zoey, Jackie maintains an extramarital romantic relationship with pharmacist Eddie to assure her ready access to prescription medication. Jackie forges an organ donor authorization to make some good of a bike messenger's death, and punishes a violent sociopath with diplomatic immunity by flushing his severed ear down the toilet.
102[19]"Sweet 'n All[19]"Craig ZiskLiz Brixius & Linda Wallem[19]June 15, 2009 (2009-06-15)
With Sweet 'n All packets full of ground-up Percocet to get her through the day, Jackie shifts blame for the resurfaced flushed ear on rookie Zoey, and must swallow her pride and tell Coop that he had been right about diagnosing a patient's unlikely aneurysm.
103[20]"Chicken Soup[20]"Craig ZiskMark Hudis[20]June 22, 2009 (2009-06-22)
Kevin shares his concern regarding Grace's mounting anxiety with Jackie. At work, Jackie must deal with a dying man (Eli Wallach) who refuses further treatment, while Eddie faces the possibility of being replaced by an automated dispensory. Meanwhile, Zoey must work up the courage to ask for her new stethoscope back after Dr. O'Hara takes it.
104[21]"School Nurse[21]"Steve Buscemi[21]Christine Zander[21]June 29, 2009 (2009-06-29)
Jackie and Kevin are rattled by concerns raised at a school meeting regarding Grace's psychological development. Zoey, lamenting a day of "unexciting" cases being assigned to her, ends up dealing with a key, tragic "first" every nurse must overcome. Meanwhile, Dr. O'Hara, in Jackie's absence, humorously struggles with the gushing, innocent gratitude of her young patient's twin brother.
105[22]"Daffodil[22]"Steve Buscemi[22]Taii K. Austin[22]July 6, 2009 (2009-07-06)
It's a topsy-turvy night shift for the All-Saints staff. Jackie bucks the system to assist a 10-year-old girl caring for her lupus-stricken mother, while male bonding between Eddie and Dr. Cooper puts a damper on Jackie's usual mid-shift tryst in the pharmacy back-room. Mo-Mo spends the night simultaneously deflecting Thor's advances and enjoying the fringe benefits of Thor's crush on him. Zoey fills in for Jackie as Dr. O'Hara's dinner date while Mrs. Akalitus—exasperated by the staff's seeming-disregard for order and professionalism—finds herself in an unfortunate encounter with the wrong end of a wayward taser.
106[23]"Tiny Bubbles[23]"Craig Zisk[23]Rick Cleveland[23]July 13, 2009 (2009-07-13)
A fellow nurse (Judith Ivey) and old friend of Jackie's checks into the hospital with terminal lung cancer, and asks Jackie to help end her life; Dr. Cooper's mother (Blythe Danner) is admitted with a gall bladder attack and reveals a family secret about her son's upbringing.
107"Steak Knife"Steve BuscemiNancy Fichman & Jennifer HoppeJuly 20, 2009 (2009-07-20)
A man is admitted to the ER with a steak knife in his chest, after an attack by the ex-husband of a woman he was dating for the first time; Mrs. Akalitus takes charge of a foundling abandoned at the nurses' station; O'Hara has a personal crisis.
108"Pupil"Steve BuscemiLiz FlahiveJuly 27, 2009 (2009-07-27)
Jackie discovers that a new temp nurse is abusing drugs, but when she confronts him, he calls her on hypocrisy; Mrs. Akalitus still has the foundling infant left at the hospital; Coop reveals to Eddie that Jackie has a child.
109"Nosebleed"Paul FeigJohn Hilary ShepherdAugust 3, 2009 (2009-08-03)
Jackie admits a dying patient she has treated before, learns that O'Hara has betrayed her secrets to a sister in Paris, suffers a drug-induced nosebleed, and forges an organ donation form in Coop's name; the parents of the baby that Akalitus is raising come forward to reclaim their child.
110"Ring Finger"Paul FeigLiz BrixiusAugust 10, 2009 (2009-08-10)
Jackie makes an unusual ploy to get Coop off her back about the fake organ donor card; O'Hara helps Jackie remove her wedding ring before a quickie with Eddie; Jackie begins mother-daughter dance lessons with Grace.
111"Pill O-Matix"Scott EllisRick ClevelandAugust 17, 2009 (2009-08-17)
Eddie is replaced by an automatic pill dispensing machine; Zoey administers the wrong dose of a painkiller to a movie critic (Victor Garber), who lapses into a coma. Jackie gets tossed out of the mother-daughter dance lessons after a clash with a mother whom she knew from her high school days.
112"Health Care and Cinema"Scott EllisLiz Brixius & Linda WallemAugust 24, 2009 (2009-08-24)
Kevin invites Jackie to a midnight rendezvous in order to give her a new wedding ring; the comatose movie critic wakes up but his tastes have radically changed; Eddie learns the truth about Jackie's family; O'Hara's ailing mother is admitted.[24]

Season 2: 2010

Episode Title Director
 Writer(s)
 Original airdate
201"Comfort Food[26]"
Paul Feig[27]Linda Wallem
Liz Brixius[28]		March 22, 2010 (2010-03-22)[29]
After breaking up with Eddie, Jackie tries to reconnect with her family. However, Jackie is soon on the verge of losing it when Cooper files a formal complaint against her, Eddie overdoses and she runs dry of drugs.[25]
202"Twitter[30]"Paul Feig[31]Mark Hudis[31]March 29, 2010 (2010-03-29)[32]
Jackie cuts through red tape to speed up a boy’s diagnosis, irritating Dr. Cooper, who has taken to Twitter as a way to vent. Mourning her mother’s death, O’Hara shows up after a night of clubbing, and Jackie covers for her while she comes down from Ecstasy. Eddie visits the bar and continues his friendship with Kevin.
203"Candyland[33]"Alan Taylor[34]Rick Cleveland[34]April 5, 2010 (2010-04-05)[35]
Cooper makes New York Magazine's Top 25 Doctors list, giving him reason to gloat and flabbergasting most of the staff. Jackie faces new challenges at home and at work with Grace's escalating anxiety and Jackie's increasingly conspicuous drug abuse. Eddie breaks boundaries and gets too close for comfort.

International broadcasts

Country TV Network(s) Date of Premiere Weekly Schedule
 Australia Network Ten September 13, 2009[36] Mondays, 9:30 p.m.
 Canada The Movie Network/Movie Central June 8, 2009[37] Mondays, 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
 Belgium Fox Life
 France Canal + April 1, 2010[38]
 Greece Universal Channel
 Iceland SkjárEinn
 Ireland RTÉ Two September 15, 2009[39] Tuesdays, 9:55 p.m.
 Israel HOT3[40]
HOT HD
HOT V.O.D		 October 21, 2009[41] Wednesdays, 10:00 p.m.
 Italy Sky Uno March 5, 2010 Fridays, 9:00 p.m.
Latin America Studio Universal February 1, 2010[42] Mondays, 9:00 p.m.
Sundays, 9:00 p.m.
 Netherlands Fox Life/RTL 8
 New Zealand TV3 Tuesdays, 9:30 p.m.
 Norway NRK1
NRK1 HD		 March 4, 2010 Thursdays, 10:30 p.m.
 Poland nSeriale
nFilm HD
nFilm HD 2
 Sweden Sveriges Television
SVT Play		 October 3, 2009[43] Saturdays, 10:45 p.m.
 Turkey ComedyMax
 United Kingdom BBC TWO
BBC HD		 January 4, 2010[44] Weekdays, 10:00 p.m. (First 5 Episodes)
Mondays, 10:00pm (Last 7 Episodes)
 Colombia Studio Universal February 1, 2010 tuesdays at 05:00,21:00 and 22:00 hs, fridays at 00:00, 05:00 and 23:00 hs, sundays at 00:00, 01:00, 05:00, 20:00 and 21:00.

References

  1. ^ a b c Kinon, Cristina (February 16, 2009). "Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, Mary-Louise Parker, more strong women lift Showtime". New York Daily News. NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Brian Ford (June 8, 2009). "The Futon's First Look: Nurse Jackie (Showtime)". FutonCritic. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Starr, Michael (June 30, 2008). "Nurse Edie: First Look at Sopranos Star's Dark, New Hospital Comedy". New York Post. NYPost.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  4. ^ Krukowski, Andrew (July 18, 2008). "Showtime Orders Nurse Jackie, Grows Weeds". TVWeek.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  5. ^ "Cable Networks Draw Big Names For New 2009 Series". NBCWashington.com. December 22, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d "Showtime Puts Nurse Jackie On Call". Reuters.com. July 18, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Fowler, Matt (June 9, 2009). "Showtime Orders More Nurse Jackie". TV.IGN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  8. ^ French, Dan (March 25, 2010). "Showtime renews 'Nurse Jackie', 'Tara'". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  9. ^ a b O'Connor, Mickey (June 8, 2009). "Snap Judgment: Nurse Jackie". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  10. ^ Juergens, Brian (December 23, 2008). "Meet the gays of The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie". AfterElton.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  11. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 22, 2009). "Exclusive: Nurse Jackie drops Mo-Mo!". EW.com. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  12. ^ Tucker, Ken (May 26, 2009). "Nurse Jackie (2009)". EntertainmentWeekly.com. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  13. ^ Nussbaum, Emily (May 31, 2009). "Night Nurse: Edie Falco's ambitious, ambiguous pill-popping healer". NYMag.com. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  14. ^ Moore, Michael (June 9, 2009). "Nurse Jackie Review: B+". Examiner.com. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  15. ^ Time Magazine's Top 10 episode list for 2009
  16. ^ Lowry, Brian (June 7, 2009). "Nurse Jackie Review". Variety.com. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  17. ^ Edroso, Roy (June 9, 2009). "New York Nurses Protest 'Pill-Popping' Nurse Jackie". VillageVoice.com. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  18. ^ a b c d "Nurse Jackie: Episode 101". Sho.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  19. ^ a b c "Nurse Jackie: Episode 102". Sho.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  20. ^ a b c "Nurse Jackie: Episode 103". Sho.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  21. ^ a b c d "Nurse Jackie: Episode 104". Sho.com. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  22. ^ a b c d "Nurse Jackie: Episode 105". Sho.com. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  23. ^ a b c d "Nurse Jackie: Episode 106". Sho.com. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  24. ^ http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product.do?episodeid=133977&seriesid=654&seasonid=1
  25. ^ "Comfort Food". tv.com. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  26. ^ "Nurse Jackie". The Movie Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  27. ^ "Comfort Food". tv.com. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  28. ^ "Comfort Food". tv.com. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  29. ^ "Nurse Jackie". The Movie Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  30. ^ "Nurse Jackie". The Movie Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  31. ^ a b "Nurse Jackie: Twitter: Writers, Directors, and Crew on TV.com". tv.com. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  32. ^ "Nurse Jackie". The Movie Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  33. ^ . tv.com http://www.tv.com/nurse-jackie/candyland/episode/1323453/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary. Retrieved April 5, 2010. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  34. ^ a b "Nurse Jackie: Candyland: Writers, Directors, and Crew on TV.com". tv.com. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |urlhttp://www.tv.com/nurse-jackie/candyland/episode/1323453/cast.html?flag= ignored (help)
  35. ^ . tv.com http://www.tv.com/nurse-jackie/candyland/episode/1323453/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary. Retrieved April 5, 2010. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "Schedule" ignored (help)
  36. ^ [1] – TV Tonight, August 29
  37. ^ Nurse Jackie's Shift Begins Monday, June 8 on The Movie Network and Movie Central
  38. ^ http://www.serieslive.com/news-series/11999/desperate-housewives-et-nurse-jackie-sur-canal-en-avril/
  39. ^ http://tvsales.rte.ie/programming/drama.htm#prog15
  40. ^ Nurse Jackie at HOT.net.il (in Hebrew)
  41. ^ Ruta Kupfer (October 21, 2009). "The Return of Carmela Soprano" (in Hebrew). mouse.co.il. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  42. ^ Studio Universal Latin America: Nurse Jackie
  43. ^ [2] – SVT.se, October 4, 2009
  44. ^ "Nurse Jackie BBC 2". BBC. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
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