Based on the real-life work of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks and created by Michael Grassi, NBC’s latest medical drama “Brilliant Minds” follows Dr. Oliver Wolf (an entertaining Zachary Quinto), an unconventional physician hell-bent on solving his patients’ neurological and mental health problems. Dr. Wolf’s methods often come at the expense of traditional protocols and even his own personal well-being. While the series follows the formulaic, case-centered rhythm that has defined the genre for decades, intriguing neurological mysteries, complicated character backstories and a genuine advocacy for the human spirit prop up the show as it tries to find its rhythm.
Brilliant Minds begins with Dr. Wolf acting on his own. In a rather far-fetched scene, he rescues an Alzheimer’s patient from the hospital and speeds off with him on the back of his motorcycle to a lavish wedding. Despite the implausible sequence of events, Dr. Wolf’s patience and diligence provide a few minutes of clarity, allowing the elderly man to play the piano at the wedding and even recognize his granddaughter, albeit briefly. Although he is able to provide his patient and family with a few moments of joy, this is the last straw for his superiors, and Dr. Wolf is promptly fired.
As the audience soon learns, this is perfectly normal for Dr. Wolf. A loner and Luddite who has also been diagnosed with prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, Dr. Wolf seems content in his huge house on City Island, surrounded by his books, weights, and VHS tapes. However, when his best friend, Dr. Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), entices him with a new case and a position at Bronx General Hospital, Dr. Wolf is too tempted to refuse.
Overcrowded and underfunded, Bronx General isn’t exactly the glitzy hospital viewers know from shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med. Dr. Wolf has his own reasons for avoiding the health center, and since his condition makes it difficult to recognize faces without great strain, he’s not exactly looking forward to supervising residents as chief resident. Due to high staff turnover and a lack of oversight at Bronx General, residents Dr. Van Markus (Alex MacNicoll), Dr. Ericka Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop), Dr. Jacob Nash (Spence Moore II), and Dr. Dana Dash (Aury Krebs) are thrilled to be under Dr. Wolf’s care—but they’re not quite prepared for the chaos he creates.
The first few episodes of Brilliant Minds are standard fare, with Dr. Wolf trying to work within the hospital’s structures and the interns trying to keep up with his harebrained theories and plans of action. The cases – one involving a young woman who doesn’t remember her children and another involving a woman who believes her body has died – are quite interesting, but the series doesn’t really find its flow until episode 3, “The Lost Biker,” in which Dr. Wolf treats a patient who is in danger of never developing a new memory. Revelations about Dr. Pierce and Bronx General’s chief neurosurgeon, Dr. Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears), who isn’t thrilled with Dr. Wolf’s presence, are revealed, taking the series’ plot in a different direction.
Episode 6, “The Girl Who Cried Pregnant,” has one of the more interesting plots. When a group of pregnant teen girls show up at Bronx General, Dr. Wolf and the interns find themselves on a strange path that involves friendships and the witchy side of TikTok (dubbed WitchTok). Additionally, the audience slowly begins to observe who the interns are outside of the hospital walls. Like Dr. Wolf, the four have different histories and paths that led them into the medical field (Dr. Markus’ past is particularly compelling).
Although Dr. Wolf has some of the eccentricities of Dr. Gregory House from Fox’s long-running drama “House,” his compassion and caring are more in line with the personality of Dr. Shaun Murphy from ABC’s “The Good Doctor.” Guided by his vast knowledge and intuition, Dr. Wolf offers residents opportunities to build their confidence. The series also explores the nuances of Dr. Wolf’s childhood, where in flashbacks we see a young boy ostracized for his neurological condition and his sexuality. These scenes clearly show how the events and traumas that shaped us in our earliest years influence who we are today.
The medical drama is one of the most overused and overblown genres on network television. Brilliant Minds draws directly on the work of Dr. Sacks, but features very few truly shocking cases. Yet as more of Dr. Wolf’s childhood and upbringing is revealed and the interns grow closer to one another, viewers become more drawn to the show, wanting to know what neurological abnormality the crew will tackle next.
“Brilliant Minds” premieres on NBC on September 23, with new episodes airing weekly on Mondays.
