Reprinted from issue #66 of TechLife News in the iOS Newsstand and AppleMagazine digital magazine at Zinio.
It's not often that new TV series come from fresh and new ideas, as after all these years, most good ideas have been used up. Do No Harm, a new drama premiering on NBC is definitely a new idea, or at least a new combined take on a few other series. It's part Marcus Welby, M.D. and part Quantum Leap. Make no mistake, though; Dr. Jason Cole is more Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde than Dr. Welby or Sam Beckett.
Dr. Cole is a very successful neurosurgeon with some strange habits no one else can understand. He only allows himself to perform surgery between 8:25 AM and 8:25 PM. He explains it away by saying he has diabetes, and his blood sugar levels affect his normally-precise hands. What only a select few know is that instead of going home at 8:25 and taking it easy, he takes drugs that knock him out and make him unconscious for twelve hours.
Ian Price is Dr. Cole's alter ego. He's the reason Dr. Cole knocks himself out every night; he fears what Ian will do. It's hard for Dr. Cole to have a relationship outside of work, because he never knows what Ian will do, and his alter ego has already damaged one of his previous relationships. The drugs stop working, and while waiting waiting for his pal at the hospital to create a new one, Ian begins taking over every night. Dr. Cole never knows what damage he'll have to cover up the next morning.
Steven Pasquale, formerly of the series Rescue Me, stars as Dr. Cole and Ian. The Cosby Show veteran Phylicia Rashad has a supporting role as Jason's boss, Dr. Vanessa Young. The first episode of Do Not Harm will officially premiere tonight, following the series finale of 30 Rock. But if you miss out, you can catch it for free on iTunes.