v21/gist:c84d008191afb0d91373318d7a738a32

## gistfile1.txt
By the late 1990s, male nursing sitcoms were the primary genre of American scripted television. Beginning with NBC's smash hit "Drips" (itself capitalizing on Michael Schultz's hit 1987 film <em>[[Disorderlies|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092897/]]</em> and its two sequels in 1989 and 1991), both ABC and CBS had developed imitators by the next season: "Hippocratic Oafs" and "Men of Mercy," respectively. Defying all expectations, both of these shows drew huge and consistent viewership numbers, and the American appetite for male nurse-based sitcoms proved insatiable. By the year 2000, every primetime television block is filled with a well-performing male nursing sitcom or male nurse-based dramedy. There are rumors that the 9 o'clock news may be pushed back an hour or cancelled altogether by the 2001-2002 season in order to free up another two slots for comedies about the high jinks of male nurses.

Each nursing sitcom develops from the same stock premise: three or four wise-cracking, prank-loving male nurses goof off while working at a hospital. They get in all sorts of trouble and seem to make terrible medical blunders, but their hilariously unorthodox efforts compound to be proved right by the end of the half-hour: the wrong medication had a secret curative side effect, the limb was accidentally amputated at the exact moment it threw a deadly clot, etc. Once per season a patient will die (usually as a season finale), but never from something our heroes did and only after imparting wisdom to them about following various dreams and not sweating the small stuff.

The male nurses are always being hounded by a matronly, out of touch female doctor who won't tolerate fun of any kind in her hospital. This female doctor is always strongly othered: older, overweight, darker-skinned, usually vaguely ethnic, over-intellectual, and a vocal feminist. "Female doctor" has become a cultural shorthand for unhappy spinsterhood, and American medical schools have seen a steep decline in applicants from men (who now overwhelmingly see the career as emasculating) and women alike. Likewise, the nursing population has exploded.

The American Medical Association tried to combat the disastrous cultural perception of doctors by developing their own show--even though men continue to make up more than two-thirds of the physicians in the United States. "He's the Doctor?" was a gentle three-camera family comedy about a male doctor who's not afraid to cut loose from time to time while dispensing moral lessons to his attractive wife and many children. The show was not a success and critics decried the "unrealistic" premise as "networks caving to political correctness." "He's the Doctor?" was cancelled after only four episodes.

The genre is rigid but wildly popular, prompting media critic Too Legit Martin to proclaim in the May 12, 1997, issue of The New Yorker, "[I]n the male nurse genre, America has her answer to Noh theatre and <em>commedia dell'arte</em>!" Shows that attempted even small variations in the formula like "Needles and Pumps" (centered around four multi-ethnic female nurses), "PFC Nurse" (centered on male nurses in a military hospital), "Draw Blood" (a gothic comedy centered on vampire nurses), and "Urban Nursing" (centered on four African-American male nurses) could never develop an audience even as dozens of other new male nurse shows of similar quality flourished with Superbowl-level audience shares each night.

In fact, the only variation to have any significant impact on the genre's scope is "Best Practices," starring one-time Beatles drummer Pete Best as sly older male nurse who shows three fresh male nurses how to have fun and foil the stuffy Dr. Edna Grosswater. Guest-star patients are usually played by other musicians, and most episodes culminate with the now-healthy patient having an illicit jam session with Best on drums for the excited pediatric ward. The impact of this show can be seen in recent hits that follow similar setups like "Nashville Nursing" with Chris Isaak and "Bubba Scrubs" with comedian Jeff Foxworthy (who closes each episode by giving his proteges another way to know if they are rednecks).

The male nurse sitcom has dominated the American television landscape for nearly 10 years at this point, with no signs of abating. None of them are appointment viewing for you, as they tend to run broad and crass, but you were raised to keep a television on for comfort. Your favorite is the low-rated cult cable show "Pediatric Ward," a quasi-parody of the genre where all the roles are played by babies who have lines overdubbed with great irony by alternative comedians.

[[Word Count: 741|previous()]]

(See also: "Statmen," "R.N.: Ridiculous Nursing," "Do No Harm," "Ready O.R. Not?", "Jersey General," "Drunken Disorderlies," "The Original Disorderlies," "Code Boob," "Nashville Nursing," "Nantucket Nursing," "Nantucket Nursing: Los Angeles," "Just Who Is In Charge Exactly? (U.K)" and "Who's In Charge Here?" (U.S. remake), "Charles the Charge," "BrotheR.N.s," "Vitals," "On Call," "Calloway, R.N.", "Off Our Meds," "Sharps," "Nursing Holmes," "Bedpan Boyz, "Nursing School", "Frat Stat")
	By the late 1990s, male nursing sitcoms were the primary genre of American scripted television. Beginning with NBC's smash hit "Drips" (itself capitalizing on Michael Schultz's hit 1987 film <em>[[Disorderlies\|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092897/]]</em> and its two sequels in 1989 and 1991), both ABC and CBS had developed imitators by the next season: "Hippocratic Oafs" and "Men of Mercy," respectively. Defying all expectations, both of these shows drew huge and consistent viewership numbers, and the American appetite for male nurse-based sitcoms proved insatiable. By the year 2000, every primetime television block is filled with a well-performing male nursing sitcom or male nurse-based dramedy. There are rumors that the 9 o'clock news may be pushed back an hour or cancelled altogether by the 2001-2002 season in order to free up another two slots for comedies about the high jinks of male nurses.

	Each nursing sitcom develops from the same stock premise: three or four wise-cracking, prank-loving male nurses goof off while working at a hospital. They get in all sorts of trouble and seem to make terrible medical blunders, but their hilariously unorthodox efforts compound to be proved right by the end of the half-hour: the wrong medication had a secret curative side effect, the limb was accidentally amputated at the exact moment it threw a deadly clot, etc. Once per season a patient will die (usually as a season finale), but never from something our heroes did and only after imparting wisdom to them about following various dreams and not sweating the small stuff.

	The male nurses are always being hounded by a matronly, out of touch female doctor who won't tolerate fun of any kind in her hospital. This female doctor is always strongly othered: older, overweight, darker-skinned, usually vaguely ethnic, over-intellectual, and a vocal feminist. "Female doctor" has become a cultural shorthand for unhappy spinsterhood, and American medical schools have seen a steep decline in applicants from men (who now overwhelmingly see the career as emasculating) and women alike. Likewise, the nursing population has exploded.

	The American Medical Association tried to combat the disastrous cultural perception of doctors by developing their own show--even though men continue to make up more than two-thirds of the physicians in the United States. "He's the Doctor?" was a gentle three-camera family comedy about a male doctor who's not afraid to cut loose from time to time while dispensing moral lessons to his attractive wife and many children. The show was not a success and critics decried the "unrealistic" premise as "networks caving to political correctness." "He's the Doctor?" was cancelled after only four episodes.

	The genre is rigid but wildly popular, prompting media critic Too Legit Martin to proclaim in the May 12, 1997, issue of The New Yorker, "[I]n the male nurse genre, America has her answer to Noh theatre and <em>commedia dell'arte</em>!" Shows that attempted even small variations in the formula like "Needles and Pumps" (centered around four multi-ethnic female nurses), "PFC Nurse" (centered on male nurses in a military hospital), "Draw Blood" (a gothic comedy centered on vampire nurses), and "Urban Nursing" (centered on four African-American male nurses) could never develop an audience even as dozens of other new male nurse shows of similar quality flourished with Superbowl-level audience shares each night.

	In fact, the only variation to have any significant impact on the genre's scope is "Best Practices," starring one-time Beatles drummer Pete Best as sly older male nurse who shows three fresh male nurses how to have fun and foil the stuffy Dr. Edna Grosswater. Guest-star patients are usually played by other musicians, and most episodes culminate with the now-healthy patient having an illicit jam session with Best on drums for the excited pediatric ward. The impact of this show can be seen in recent hits that follow similar setups like "Nashville Nursing" with Chris Isaak and "Bubba Scrubs" with comedian Jeff Foxworthy (who closes each episode by giving his proteges another way to know if they are rednecks).

	The male nurse sitcom has dominated the American television landscape for nearly 10 years at this point, with no signs of abating. None of them are appointment viewing for you, as they tend to run broad and crass, but you were raised to keep a television on for comfort. Your favorite is the low-rated cult cable show "Pediatric Ward," a quasi-parody of the genre where all the roles are played by babies who have lines overdubbed with great irony by alternative comedians.

	[[Word Count: 741\|previous()]]

	(See also: "Statmen," "R.N.: Ridiculous Nursing," "Do No Harm," "Ready O.R. Not?", "Jersey General," "Drunken Disorderlies," "The Original Disorderlies," "Code Boob," "Nashville Nursing," "Nantucket Nursing," "Nantucket Nursing: Los Angeles," "Just Who Is In Charge Exactly? (U.K)" and "Who's In Charge Here?" (U.S. remake), "Charles the Charge," "BrotheR.N.s," "Vitals," "On Call," "Calloway, R.N.", "Off Our Meds," "Sharps," "Nursing Holmes," "Bedpan Boyz, "Nursing School", "Frat Stat")