“Royal Pains” Review

USA Network has been on one heck of a roll the last few years. “Psych” is one of the funniest shows on television and “Burn Notice” is better than 95% of network shows. I was a little disappointed with last year’s new offering “In Plain Sight” (I still watch it every week but just don’t like it as much as the other USA shows) but I had a feeling that “Royal Pains” would be a good show as soon as I read the description. After screening the pilot episode, I can definitely say my gut feeling was right. The show starts a little slow (so make sure to stick around even if you hate the first ten minutes) but by the end of the 75-minute episode, I was already starting to love the series.

If I had to describe “Royal Pains,” I’d say it’s a mix of “House,” “MacGyver,” and “Monk.” It’s like “House” because it features a genius doctor (who thankfully isn’t nearly as grouchy or mean). The “MacGyver” comparison comes from the main character’s ability to use ordinary household items to save people’s lives. As for “Monk,” it isn’t quite as funny as that show but it does have the same sort of humor that I’ve come to love.

If you haven’t read the show description yet, “Royal Pains” stars Mark Feuerstein (”3 Lbs., “Good Morning, Miami”) as Hank Lawson, a great doctor who loses everything when he makes a crucial decision that costs a hospital financier his life. He is fired from his job and blacklisted by his hospital. After months of moping, his brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) gets him out of the house and to the Hamptons for a much-needed vacation. The two crash a party and when Hank saves the life of one of the guests, he quickly becomes the hot doctor in town. Rich residents start calling him for all their medical emergencies even though he doesn’t exactly want the job.

I’ll get the one thing that bugs me about the series out of the way right away. There are just too many convenient aspects to the story. We’re supposed to believe that everyone in the Hamptons learns about Hank within a day of arriving. People start calling him right and left with their medical problems the morning after he saves the party guest’s life. Even worse, the area hospital is supposedly horrible which conveniently makes an on-call doctor like Hank a necessity for the rich and famous. I don’t think an area like the Hamptons would have an awful hospital, more than likely they would have a state-of-the-art facility. On the positive side, the show uses these conveniences for a nice running gag (everyone insults the hospital in creative ways) and they are really pretty minor grievances anyway.

Everything else about the show is great. I’m glad that the show doesn’t spend too much time on the medical aspect since medical shows are starting to pile up on the networks and even cable. Instead, like all USA Network shows, the series focuses on the characters. The characters on “Royal Pains” are still a little underdeveloped in the pilot episode but they definitely have a lot of potential. My favorite character was Hank’s dorky brother/accountant Evan because he is the source of most of the humor. Speaking of comedy, this show definitely has the USA Network feel. As I wrote earlier, the start is a little slow but by the end of the episode you’ll be laughing quite a bit. It isn’t at the “Monk” or “Psych” level just yet but it should get there soon.

If the pilot episode is any indication, USA Network has yet another hit to add to their stable of quality shows. As long as you like the network’s other shows, I see no reason why you wouldn’t like “Royal Pains.” Highly recommended.