Can a medical drama survive by blending hospital life with the supernatural?
In short: Saving Hope, a Canadian series set in the fictional Hope Zion hospital, attempted a unique narrative experiment. It combined standard medical soap opera tropes with a paranormal twist: the Chief of Surgery, in a coma, wanders the halls as a spirit, observing his colleagues and patients while fighting to return.
Created by Malcolm MacRury and Morwyn Brebner, Saving Hope premiered on June 7, 2012, on CTV in Canada and NBC in the United States. The show’s premise was inspired by a 2005 newspaper series of the same name by Ian Brown. While the series follows the professional and romantic lives of doctors like Dr. Alex Reid and Dr. Joel Goran, its defining feature is the spirit walk of Dr. Charlie Harris. After a car accident leaves him comatose, Harris remains a central character, navigating the hospital as a ghost who can interact with other spirits.
Critical reception was mixed, with the show holding a score of 49 out of 100 on Metacritic. Critics were divided on the effectiveness of the supernatural elements. Some, like Alan Sepinwall, viewed the spirit walk as an attempt to refresh tired medical drama conventions, though he ultimately found the execution lacking. Others, such as David Wiegand, criticized the series for relying on stock characters and sentimental tropes, comparing it unfavorably to established shows like Grey's Anatomy, A Gifted Man, and Ghost Whisperer.
Despite the polarized reviews, the show maintained a consistent production schedule, running for five seasons until August 3, 2017. CTV ordered multiple season extensions, and the show eventually found a home on Ion Television in the United States. The series remains a notable example of Canadian television attempting to bridge the gap between grounded medical realism and speculative fiction, even if the blend of genres left some viewers and critics unconvinced.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Saving Hope
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