User reviews

I really enjoyed this show for it's first season. I thought the characters were really likable, they were very funny, and some of the extremely exotic conditions rich people were coming down with (all on long island, who knew?) made the show fun and rewarding. The Dr (Hank) is great and the idea of saving someone at a rich recluse's house, then being given an amazing apartment, money, and the chance to rub elbows with the secretive elite plays on my fantasies terrifically. A lot of the rich characters fall into a typical neurotic mold but there are some like Boris the house owner that creates enough mystery to keep you watching for the next episode. The son with the distant father and crazy girlfriend is a great character. Evan the brother is Hilarious and has great chemistry with the main character. The Indian assistant Divya is really funny and I like the subplot of her dreams and her conflicts with traditional Indian cultural values. I thought the girlfriend character was OK but it didn't add much and the conflicts weren't very strong or justified. Overall a really fun show.

This is a very charming series unfortunately without much depth of plot or character development. Anyone stepping onto a ladder will inevitably fall and lapse into a seizure requiring complex emergency medical treatment. Once a character has been stabilized, they will subsequently be diagnosed with a rare disease and will eventually be cured after suffering numerous heart attacks, more seizures, various bacterial infections and so on. Almost no one dies.

The show is mostly ruined by Paulo Costanzo as "Evan". I don't know if Castanzo's mother is the producer, but the show gave him way to many scenes in exchange for his contribution to the series, which is a minus nothing. Constanzo "infects" mostly every scene with his distracting lack of talent.

Costanzo's "humor" is a hybrid mix of Seinfeld and Pee-wee Herman, both of which Costanzo channels in virtually every scene. Costanzo's delivery and timing are predictably predictable and downright annoying. Just as Evan annoys the characters in the show, similarly he annoys the audience with his predictable, unfunny antics, stupid facial expressions, using too many words, and childish Pee-wee manic behavior.

Here is my prescription. To enjoy the show you need to edit out Evan. When you see Evan entering a scene in one of his little pastel suits, and silly hat du jour, together with his little, puffy pee-we pout -- quickly FAST FORWARD through the entire scene until he is gone. Trust me, you will have missed nothing.

Well I was avoiding this thinking it would be a lousy show. But who would have ever thought this would be a great show. well it doesn't have all the suspense the deep mysterious illness and what ever Dr. House had. but its still a lovable show. the actors fair well to sell the show. The chemistry between the couples are good. various small plots help to sell it better. the main character is lovable and is surprisingly calm. You may think that it's a cross between the Burn Notice and Dr.House but it's definitely something much more. well i was a little bit irritated with the accent of the Indian actress but what the heck the rest just covers it up.well all i can say is that this show is worth watching and its guaranteed to entertain you.Enjoy !!!!!!

I give this show 10 stars for handling patient-doctor confidentiality a little bit more seriously. And having great storylines. But I'm going to have to give it 4 stars for the highly annoying brother.

Perfect fantasy show about how we'd all like the world to be. It's an "Ozzie and Harriet", "Bonanza" or "Waltons" for the 21st Century.

We have too much "reality" and "shoot-em-dead" TV already. This little show is an antidote to that sort of violence.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to stay balanced in a violent world filled with violent TV.

The setting in the Hamptons is something most of us will never experience, but that's okay. It's something we all could get used to very quickly.

The doctor in the series is exactly who we'd love to have for our personal physician (hey, he makes house calls!)

I LOVE this show!! I was looking forward to this as a summer series when my other favorite shows ended for the season. I love doctor/lawyer/medical/murder/investigation/puzzle type shows, and this show totally hooked me by the first commercial break in the pilot! This is the first original show on USA that I've seen, because my life is so busy that I just don't watch that much TV, but I have made room in my schedule for Hank. I love the fact that Hank isn't just treating the ultra-rich, but also people who need him and can't possibly pay. I also love the fact that the series started with interesting and complicated characters and I am really looking forward to learning more about Jill, Divya and Boris. Some of the personality types that Hank has come across are not just limited to the ultra rich, I've seen people who are obsessed with WebMD and pro-biotic yogurt as well as people who try to stay out of the limelight but at the same time know everything that's going on with everybody. I can't wait to see what happens next! ROCK ON USA!!

Now on season 6, this is entertaining-not compelling. actual outdoor scenery is really pretty. actors do a good job-can't stand the Evan character but I am now clicking past when he starts ranting-can live without the father character also- they are both annoying. But why do ALL the females have to wear 6" heels/wedges with shorts? Anything more ridiculous looking? Story lines pretty good-entertaining to watch.

With the dearth of scripted shows on the 4 major networks these days, I've been forced to check out the series on USA, TNT, etc. "Royal Pains" is a delight! I'm sorry the first season is over already. The HD is brilliant, the scenery around the Hamptons is glorious.....a great back drop for a really good series, full of humor and drama and just a mix of "MacGyver" thrown in. It's important to me in a series that the supporting cast is just as strong as the lead character, and here we have an eclectic group who complement each other, and their interaction seems effortless. I do agree with another comment that the chemistry between Hank and Jill needs to be tweaked in some way, but aside from that I do look forward to many more years of "HankMed" and I will be one of the first to by the DVD.

Evan is just pain irritating. Kill him off and you have got a good show.

When is going to finish this obsession from writers and producers of adding a "funny" character not funny at all. Hank's brother is not funny or likable, he's a real pain.

This show is great! I think it has the perfect mix of, well everything...the only thing I don't like is the character Jill, I don't think the actress is a very good actress she seems to be trying too hard, other than that I love everything about the show. I love Dr. Lawson and Evan!!! I can't wait until next summer!! Think this show has great potential. I love the different story lines and illnesses. I'm interested to see all the complex stories they can come up with. I have noticed that it's usually the simplest answer. I guess the appeal is as patients, we want a doctor that is caring and smart...in really life that doesn't really happen. I'm stoked for next season!!

I have now watched every episode of this series. That in itself says something about its entertainment value. But I think it's safe to say this show is not for everyone.

"Royal Pains" has been compared to "MacGyver", because it concerns a concierge doctor (Dr. Hank Lawson played by Mark Feuerstein) who practices in the Hamptons, and he has the uncanny ability to construct whatever medical device he needs from articles at hand. His brother, Evan (Paulo Costanzo), handles the business and financial sides of the operation. Divya (Reshma Shetty) and Jeremiah (Ben Shenkman) are the medical assistant and associate doctor who round out the practice.

The show focuses on their personal lives, too. Their lives provide plenty of drama and comedy. Henry Winkler plays the father who has never reliably been there for the boys.

Two others really deserve mention: Campbell Scott, who plays Boris, Hank's benefactor and most demanding patient, and Brooke D'Orsay, who plays Paige, Evan's beautiful girlfriend.

Production values are spectacular. It doesn't hurt that the show is filmed in the Hamptons and on some foreign locations.

Though Boris provides some intrigue, don't expect gun battles or car chases. This is a show about nice people who really care for others.

This is not a kind of show where you anxiously wait to see a new episode. It's kind of show that you can watch once in a while and you didn't miss anything. The idea is, a doc happens to help out a wealthy patient and soon after he becomes a private doc for secretive and freaky upper 5% wealthy patients in a preppy area. The show is hardly anyhow developing and it goes over and over again. A genius doc Dr. Hank Lawson Feuerstein is a weak and boring character. Evan R. Lawson is his younger brother, which a very cheesy and ridiculous character played by Paulo Costanzo, that tries hard to be funny but he keeps failing at it. I was impressed by Reshma Shetty, she appears to be very talented and interesting, but unfortunately her role is not built well either. Her desperate character is written into a lot of overacting and the show is static and repetitive. I'm starting to believe people would watch almost anything if it shows the glorious life of rich people. As far as it has mansions, expensive sports cars and giant pools, people will watch it. It's a little bit neat show, but I can't see much beyond that there.

Honestly, when I stared watching this show my expectations were pretty low. I thought the story seemed pretty boring and the setting - well I thought I've seen it all before. Moreover, I did not like ANY of the characters at first and some even annoyed me (like Jil and Evan - especially Evan!). However, the writers really develop all characters very well and after a couple of episodes I simply started to love each of them. Everyone has their own story and you simply get drawn into it and keep on wanting more. There is never too much drama, however there is ALWAYS something going on that keeps you watching. I believe this show has everything it takes: a bit of action, a bit of drama, a lot of fun and looots of nice, expensive locations, houses and cars. Do not give up on this show after the first episodes! Hank will not let you down, I swear!

'Royal Pains'... .. yes, it did eventually become exactly that!! Maybe 6 stars - the entire series is like an hour-long, weekly video presentation for super-luxury real estate in The Hamptons (and designer clothing and accessories for women). With some very good performances, and some blatantly awkward ones as well, it must be said that casting for this series was mostly to blame for its failings.. yea, and lots of the writing was pretty poor too. One of the best performances is from Brooke D'Orsay. Every time on-screen, no matter the circumstance, standing head-and-shoulders above, she is just so spot-on in her role as Paige Collins (no wonder she's now appearing on several other shows). Streaming is probably not the best way to view this type of series. There's LOTS can become tiring VERY quickly when viewed without a weekly break (notably several of the more annoying and poorly acted characters). Now halfway through season 5.. and it's lookin very doubtful will be able to hang on till the finish (even with the much-used capability of streaming-forward). This would have been a considerably better production had more 'real-world' situations and people been allowed to surface on a more frequent basis... and should the catch-phrases 'concierge-medicine'..and especially 'Hank-Med' never be heard again.. that would be more than agreeable. PS.. did eventually finish season 5.. and all I can say.. can't help die-hard fans.. but for anyone else maybe thinking of buyin season 5 episodes.. do not bother!! Its gotten way-off-track.. this show REALLY should call it quits, and take the money and run.

Truly loved this show. The humor, the story lines, the friends, the family ... and the way they closed it down was so respectful of their long-time fans. Thank you, Royal Pains, and everyone involved. You were an absolutely class act.

Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Brooke D'Orsay, Reshma Shetty, Campbell Scott, Ben Shenkman, Henry Winkler, Christine Ebersole ... these are first-rate actors who drew us into the fantasy land of the Hamptons and led us to caring deeply about their characters.

You simply must watch the whole series ... the payoff in the last two episodes is completely satisfying. Well done.