Too Soon?
Series Review: “Medical Police”
Two American docs are swept up in a deadly international game of viral espionage in which they discover their true talents at crime-solving. . . a hilarious spoof that’s anything but politically correct; it’s instantly infectious.
SnapShot Plot
They say timing is everything. That couldn’t be more apt as it applies to one of the goofiest, most slapstick shows whose recent arrival on Netflix may rub some the wrong way but to (hopefully) many more will deliver some much needed belly laughs right about now.
Medical Police, from the team who created Childrens Hospital (the irreverent medical drama parody on the Adult Swim channel), features the same cast of characters once again working at a childrens hospital in Brazil, who encounter a strange virus for which there’s no cure. Pediatric trauma doctor Lola Spratt (delightfully played by Erinn Hayes) is instantly intrigued, as the mystery virus triggers her repressed, early passion for virology. She sends her findings to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), against the orders of her boss, Sy Mittleman (played to campy effect by Henry Winkler), and to the disinterest of her fellow colleagues at the hospital. Lola reluctantly enlists the help of Dr. Owen Maestro — former failed cop and current obnoxious brain surgeon — to give her a ride to connect with the CDC’s office in São Paulo, where she is immediately enlisted as a field agent to combat the spread of the disease. Owen (in a perfectly toned, ironic performance by Rob Huebel) haphazardly tags along and before you can say “Wheels Up”, this unlikely doctor-duo is hopscotching across the globe in a race against the clock and a nefarious cast of characters to identify the originator of the virus and find a cure.
Parting Shot
Created mostly by Rob Corddry (veteran comic actor currently co-starring in CBS’s The Unicorn, and here playing an addle-brained and perennially clown painted doctor named Blake), Medical Police is that rare hybrid between spoof and thrill ride. It’s clearly a parody of both the medical drama and cop show genres, while simultaneously exploiting the viral contagion trope, to hilarious effect. And yet if you watch it without turning on your laugh meter, you can still get a charge out of the high octane fight scenes and action sequences, as well as the spectacular on-location shoots in cities such as Berlin, Florence, Shanghai, and São Paulo, to name just some.
As I stated, topically this may prove to be a tricky show to recommend to some viewers. Clearly, we are ALL at a crossroad and facing challenging times, and we know the worst is most likely still to come. And sometimes it feels incorrect to make light of it, as much as for the majority of us, we are still thankfully untouched by illness or tragedy. But still, and perhaps especially at times such as this, Laughter is indeed the best Medicine, and shows such as this are just what the doctor ordered.
Medical Police is presently streaming on Netflix.
Norma’s Streaming Picks is a Baby Boomer’s Guide to the Best Streaming Movies/TV on the Planet. Check out my site for a TON more titles and reviews!
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