Nurse Jackie

Nurse Jackie
Genre Medical drama
Dark comedy
Comedy-drama
Satire
Created by Liz Brixius
Evan Dunsky
Linda Wallem
Starring Edie Falco
Eve Best
Merritt Wever
Haaz Sleiman
Paul Schulze
Peter Facinelli
Dominic Fumusa
Anna Deavere Smith
Ruby Jerins
Mackenzie Aladjem
Stephen Wallem
Betty Gilpin
Adam Ferrara
Morris Chestnut
Theme music composer Wendy & Lisa
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 80 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Liz Brixius
Caryn Mandabach
John Melfi
Linda Wallem
Richie Jackson
Mark Hudis
Christine Zander
Clyde Phillips
Tom Straw
Producer(s) Brad Carpenter
Michele Giordano
Liz Flahive
Bari Halle
Allen Coulter (pilot only)
Jerry Kupfer (pilot only)
Location(s) New York City
Camera setup Single camera
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Caryn Mandabach Productions
Clyde Phillips Productions (seasons 5–7)
Jackson Group Entertainment
Madison Grain Elevator (seasons 1–4)
Lionsgate Television
De Long Lumber Company (seasons 1–4)
Release
Original network Showtime
Original release June 8, 2009 (2009-06-08) – June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)
External links
Website

Nurse Jackie is an American medical comedy-drama series. It premiered on Showtime on June 8, 2009.[1][2] The show's seventh and final season premiered on April 12, 2015.[3] The series finale aired on June 28, 2015.

The show stars Edie Falco as the title character Jackie Peyton, an emergency department nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City.[2][4][5][6] For Jackie, "every day is a high wire act of juggling patients, doctors, fellow nurses, and her own indiscretions."[7]

Development and production

Nurse Jackie was created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky. Brixius and Wallem served as showrunners for the first four seasons and shared executive producer duties with Caryn Mandabach and John Melfi.[1][7] Showtime ordered an initial 12 episodes.[7] Before the premiere, Brixius told the New York Daily News that "Guys' stories tend to be about conquests – getting the job, winning the Olympics, whatever. Women['s] 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 ever, with 1 million viewers for the premiere and over 350,000 for the repeat broadcast.[8] Showtime immediately picked up the series for a second season.[8] Season Three premiered on Showtime on March 28, 2011.[9] On May 23, 2011, Showtime ordered a fourth season.[10] A fifth season was ordered on May 31, 2012,[11] and production began in late 2012. The season 4 finale aired on June 17, 2012.[12] Season 5 premiered on April 14, 2013,[13] with new showrunner and executive producer Clyde Phillips.[14] On June 6, 2013, Showtime renewed the show for a sixth season, which premiered on April 13, 2014.[15]

On March 31, 2014, Showtime renewed Nurse Jackie for a seventh season, which was announced the following September as being the show's final season.[16] It premiered April 12, 2015.[3]

Cast and characters

Main character Jackie Peyton was 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 had "an occasional weakness for Vicodin, Percocet, and Xanax to get her through the days."[7] The main characters included Dr. Eleanor O'Hara (Eve Best), a British doctor and Jackie's best friend at work; Zoey Barkow (Merritt Wever), a spunky, but inexperienced, nursing student from a community college, who "is the perfect foil for Jackie's sharp angles";[4][17] Dr. Fitch Cooper (Peter Facinelli), "a likable 'golden boy' whose calm façade hides a nervous disposition";[4] and Eddie Walzer (Paul Schulze), a pharmacist with whom Jackie was having an affair at the beginning of the series.[4][18]

Other characters included the officious hospital administrator Mrs. Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith),[4] Jackie's bar owner husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa),[17] their daughters Grace (Ruby Jerins) and Fiona (Daisy Tahan season 1 — Mackenzie Aladjem seasons 2 through 7), and Thor (Stephen Wallem), Jackie's kindhearted confidant and the real-life brother of show creator/executive producer Linda Wallem.[19]

Main cast and characters

Recurring cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
112June 8, 2009 (2009-06-08)August 24, 2009 (2009-08-24)
212March 22, 2010 (2010-03-22)June 7, 2010 (2010-06-07)
312March 28, 2011 (2011-03-28)June 20, 2011 (2011-06-20)
410April 8, 2012 (2012-04-08)June 17, 2012 (2012-06-17)
510April 14, 2013 (2013-04-14)June 16, 2013 (2013-06-16)
612April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)June 29, 2014 (2014-06-29)
712April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12)June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)

Reception

Critical reception

The premiere of Nurse Jackie was met with generally positive reviews from critics, and received a Metacritic rating of 76 out of 100.[22] Entertainment Weekly gave the first episode a B+, stating "Edie Falco brings a genial forcefulness to Nurse Jackie."[23] 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."[24] James Poniewozik from Time magazine ranked Nurse Jackie's episode "Tiny Bubbles" (106) as 5th on his Top 10 Episodes of 2009 list.[25] Variety and Salon struck the primary sour notes, 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...'"[26]

Reviews of subsequent seasons varied. The second season achieved a Metacritic rating of 75 out of 100 from 16 critics,[27] the third season received 79 out of 100 based on 7 reviews,[28] the fourth received 83 out of 100 out of 9 reviews,[29] the fifth season received a 66 out of 100 based on 10 reviews,[30] and the sixth season received a rating of 64 out of 100 based on 4 reviews.[31] The seventh and final season did not receive enough ratings to warrant a score.[32]

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."[33]

Genre

On August 29, 2010, at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, in her acceptance speech for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Falco exclaimed "I'm not funny!" Later, while speaking to the press, she expanded upon her statement and said that she felt her performance was dramatic. Several articles have since been written addressing this question, with some writers even calling for an overhaul of the Emmy categorization process as well as a "Comedy-Drama/Dramedy" category for the awards.[34][35]

Awards and nominations

Golden Globe Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Broadcast

Country TV Network(s) Date of Premiere Weekly Schedule
 Australia Network Ten
Eleven
Showcase
September 13, 2009[36]
January 11, 2011
February 16, 2011[37]
Mondays, 9:30 pm
Tuesdays, 11:30 p.m
Wednesdays, 8:30 pm
 Canada The Movie Network
Movie Central
June 8, 2009[38] Mondays, 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
 New Zealand TV3 Tuesdays, 9:30 pm
 United Kingdom BBC Two (seasons 1–2)
Sky Atlantic (seasons 3–)
January 4, 2010[39]
July 5, 2011[40]
Saturdays, 10:40 p.m (Season 2) Jan 22, 2011+
Tuesdays, 10:00 pm (Season 3)

Foreign versions

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kinon, Cristina (February 16, 2009). "Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, Mary-Louise Parker, more strong women lift Showtime". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Sullivan, Brian Ford (June 8, 2009). "The Futon's First Look: Nurse Jackie (Showtime)". FutonCritic. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Kondolojy, Amanda (January 12, 2015). "The Final Season of 'Nurse Jackie' and the Return of 'Penny Dreadful' to Debut this Spring on Showtime". Zap2it. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Starr, Michael (June 30, 2008). "Nurse Edie: First Look at Sopranos Star's Dark, New Hospital Comedy". New York Post. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  5. Krukowski, Andrew (July 18, 2008). "Showtime Orders Nurse Jackie, Grows Weeds". TVWeek.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  6. "Cable Networks Draw Big Names For New 2009 Series". NBCWashington.com. December 22, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Showtime Puts Nurse Jackie On Call". Reuters. July 18, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  8. 1 2 Fowler, Matt (June 9, 2009). "Showtime Orders More Nurse Jackie". TV.IGN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  9. Sullivan, Brian Ford (January 14, 2011). "Showtime at TCA: Kennedys, Gigolos, Oh My!". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  10. "Nurse Jackie Renewed". Seat42f. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  11. Nurse Jackie season five | canceled + renewed TV shows. TV Series Finale. Retrieved on 2012-10-09.
  12. "Nurse Jackie Renewed For Season 5". Cinema Blend. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  13. Seidman, Robert (January 12, 2013). "Showtime Announces Premiere Dates for 'Nurse Jackie,' 'Dexter' (Returning Early) 'Ray Donovan,' 'Homeland,' 'Masters of Sex' & More". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  14. Andreeva, Nellie (May 31, 2012). "Showtime Renews 'Nurse Jackie' For Fifth Season With Clyde Phillips As Showrunner". Deadline. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  15. Andreeva, Nellie (June 6, 2013). "Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie' Renewed For Season 6". Deadline. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  16. ‘Nurse Jackie’ Ending After Season 7, Final Episodes To Air In 2015 inquisitr.com, 10. September 2014
  17. 1 2 O'Connor, Mickey (June 8, 2009). "Snap Judgment: Nurse Jackie". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  18. Juergens, Brian (December 23, 2008). "Meet the gays of The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie". AfterElton.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  19. Voss, Brandon (March 23, 2010). "Stephen Wallem: Nurse Jackie's Hammer of Thor". Advocate.com. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  20. Played by Daisy Tahan in season 1
  21. Chestnut is credited alongside the main cast in the opening credits, though he is billed as a "special guest star".
  22. "Nurse Jackie-Season 1 Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  23. Tucker, Ken (May 26, 2009). "Nurse Jackie (2009)". EntertainmentWeekly.com. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  24. Nussbaum, Emily (May 31, 2009). "Night Nurse: Edie Falco's ambitious, ambiguous pill-popping healer". NYMag.com. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  25. Time Magazine's Top 10 episode list for 2009. Tunedin.blogs.time.com (December 8, 2009).
  26. Lowry, Brian (June 7, 2009). "Nurse Jackie Review". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  27. "Nurse Jackie Season 2 Reviews". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  28. "Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  29. "Nurse Jackie Season 4 Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  30. "Nurse Jackie Season 5 Reviews". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  31. "Nurse Jackie Season 6 Reviews". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  32. "Nurse Jackie Season 7 Reviews". Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  33. Nurse Jackie, BBC Two | TV reviews, news & interviews. The Arts Desk (January 5, 2010). Retrieved on 2012-10-09.
  34. Goodman, Tim (June 9, 2011). "Emmys: Why Comedy Nominees Aren't Funny Anymore". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. EMMYS: Do We Need A Dramedy Category?. Deadline.com. Retrieved on 2012-10-09.
  36. – TV Tonight, August 29
  37. Nurse Jackie – – About The Show – SHOWTIME AUSTRALIA. Showtime.com.au. Retrieved on 2012-10-09.
  38. Nurse Jackie's Shift Begins Monday, June 8 on The Movie Network and Movie Central. Astralmedia.com (September 26, 2012). Retrieved on 2012-10-09.
  39. "Nurse Jackie BBC 2". BBC. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  40. Deans, Jason (June 15, 2011). "Nurse Jackie moves to Sky Atlantic". The Guardian. London. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
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