The Mob Doctor (2012–2013) User Reviews

It shows promise.

[whitneyfreakinvance · 7/10 · 18 September 2012]

With a lot of medical dramas out there, this one has a different take. Grace is a resident at a Chicago hospital and a respected surgeon. She is a likable character. She does what she thinks would be the right thing to do. It gives you very little of her background though.

Grace helps her brother out with his debt to the Mob. Now, she has to moonlight for them. The pilot did seem a little rushed. An extra half hour could have been nice to gather background information on the characters before throwing us into the Mob plot. The beginning and ending of the episode gave us a little insight, not much. It was a decent pilot and I hope the rest of the season turns out to be good.

Let's Talk About The Mob Doctor

[ozfan-1 · 7/10 · 7 October 2012]

I am enjoying this show and it fills in the Fox Broadcasting hole that was left by the departure of House. The dilemmas Grace must face to fulfill her debt to the mob, stay under hospital radar when she needs to use their equipment and also follow her conscience to her oath as a doctor put her in some tough situations. Does she kill a mobster on orders from the people she owes? How does she fix up the guy that she knows just caused a family great pain and anguish and still live with herself? Grace faces all this and more. The show is gaining an audience in the 3 or so weeks it has aired. The cast is good and the show is well done. The premise is interesting and plot twists are not always expected.

Check out my blog on Blogspot called Tales of Television for more reviews

Too many problems

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 September 2013]

Dr. Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro) is forced into working for the mob to cancel a debt his useless brother Nate (Jesse Lee Soffer) incurred. Only her connection to the mob boss Constantine Alexander (William Forsythe) is actually much more personal than that.

It's impossible to zero in on one thing that was wrong with this show. It was a critical failure, a ratings failure, and filmed only 13 episodes. It was dead on arrival. Jordana Spiro is a nice comedic actress, but the character really had a limited range. Jesse Lee Soffer plays Nate who is probably the most annoying and frustrating character around. Then there is Paul Moretti (Michael Rapaport) who played the bad Mob guy. He's annoying. He disappeared for awhile and then returned. It was bad idea. They should either kill me off, or let him be a constant character. That kind of change really can screw up a serial show. The problems were just never fixed.

Got it wrong

[babsglaser · 8 November 2012]

I really like this show, but - there is always a but isn't there, whoever is your "medical" expert needs to know what he / she is talking about. Episode 5. Yound girl is dying because she needs a new heart and is lying in bed with oxygen running. All is good and here comes the but. She does not have an oxygen mask on she has a CPAP mask on. CPAP masks look a lot worse than an O2 cannula and I think this is why they chose to use it. CPAP masks are used when someone is sleeping to keep them breathing, not when someone is awake and talking, also when someone is waiting for a new heart he/she is not pretty pink, but a horrible whitish grey color.

Thank you for your time, like I said I do like the show, you just have to get it more real when someone is sick, use the right masks, etc. I am sure if I saw this error a lot of people did.

Good concept, too much soap opera

[Osmiumos · 6/10 · 7 November 2021]

I love the idea. Lead characters Grace and Constantine are well cast. BUT, it's just too hectic with too much drama and too many attempted subplots that detract from telling the story. The Michael Rapaport character is ridiculous. The petty conflicts with the Olivia character doctor whoever and are ridiculous and only last a few episodes for the artifice of establishing Grace's character before the offending characters simply have the "a-hole" gene written out of their behaviour, that's one way to remove an annoyance - just re-write the character. It wants to shoehorn an episode of the Sopranos plus an episode of House into each episode, but they really don't need these resident doctors to be super geniuses who are dealing with some bizarre medical diagnostic challenge every episode... what they need is to ensure Grace's workload at the hospital is not so overwhelming that she cannot possibly have a moment to be the mob doctor. I didn't tune in to watch House, i guess was hoping for the Sopranos with a twist rather than yet another hospital drama. I like the idea, but it's a bit too much soap opera for my taste.

Have to decry the cancellation of the show

[siderite · 8/10 · 6 January 2013]

I don't usually comment on TV series, but for this I had to.

There are a lot of doctor shows out there, but when you think of something that shows actual medical cases and real dilemmas, very few actually come up. ER and Grey's Anatomy type shows focus on the people and ignore the medical issues consistently and the likes of Dr.House focus on the brilliancy of the lead character and eventually come to avoid medical information altogether. Both types care more about the imaginary emotional problems of the main characters than for the actual characters. One could easily replace the doctors with high school hall monitors or street cleaners and not change a bit of the script.

Not so The Mob Doctor, where the lead character has to juggle her connection to gangsters and her usual high profile medical doctor job. She has both strange cases with limited resources outside of hospital and medical highlights inside, where all the equipment and tests are useless without a good doctor inspiration.

OK, the show is not perfect. The mob operations are ridiculously obvious and the way the doctor gets out of work without anyone raising eyebrows is also quite incredible, but overall the show brings a lot of the stuff that others ignore completely. This series is not bad and certainly did not deserve a cancellation after only one season, with no chance to improve.

The only cause I can find is that the female doctor in the show was not ravishingly beautiful and did not really have a romantic life. A professional that did her job well, discreetly and did not want to get into other's people business robbed the masses of their portion of gossip and monkey clan business and so they switched to the likes of Emily Owens. That's a shame, really.

You've Got To Be Kidding

[bayardhiler · 2/10 · 22 September 2012]

When I first heard about this show, I'll admit that I was a little skeptical about the show being any good. Never the less, I figured that at least the show had a somewhat original premise. Why not check it out? Well, it turns out, I should have listened to the skeptical instincts because this show is ridiculous. It follows the story of a young and intelligent surgeon (played by Jordana Spiro) who it turns out, also is forced to take side jobs for you know who in order to pay off the debt of her brother. The idea does sound interesting, but unfortunately is not executed well. Why should she be the one who is paying off the debt when she is not the one who owes them? Maybe if the mob payed her medical school tuition, then it would make sense. Also, the producers have clearly never read up on the mob. Case in point, in the pilot, the young doctor is ordered to kill a patient she will be operating on because he his a turncoat. Now stop right there. As someone who has read a lot about the mob and organized crime in general, I can tell you that the mob would never, ever, ever, ever send someone who has never killed before to do such an important hit. Never. Even if the target was in a hospital and under guard, they would not do that. The reason should be obvious; the person is not a stone, cold killer and would likely not be able to go through with it. Also, the mob has had some pretty ingenious ways to kill someone (just read up on Richard Kuklinski and you'll see what I mean) that they would probably try first. I may watch the second episode to see if the show gets better, but I doubt that it will. At this stage, I recommend that you pass on "The Mob Doctor".

Underrated

[abc-tvbuff · 10/10 · 14 November 2012]

It truly is a shame that such a well put together show will most likely be dropped simply because it's a doctor show that steps out of the 'box' that people are used to.

I thought that the chemistry between the cast was dead on, the character development was brilliant, the plot was unpredictable and creative, and while it dealt with the mob it also maintained it's interesting medical backdrop. The main character alone, has so much going on that it's easy to stay interested. I mean she is a women from the wrong side of the tracks trying to make a name for herself in a big city hospital, while also trying to protect her family from the mob, and on top of it all she has to not only find, a way to NOT get so attached to her patients, but she also has to figure out a way to keep some semblance of a social life (i.e - boyfriends, friends, etc.)

I mean yeah, the show is based on a doctor who is indebted to the mob but that isn't that far fetched of an idea...nor do I find anything in the show to be unrealistic. I think that the way that they didn't handhold us viewers through the whole process of introductions and just plunged us right into the action of the show, while slowly feeding us details about the characters as the show progresses was a great idea (imo).

Anyways, I think that people should stop expecting this show to fill the big shoes that "House" left behind and just go into it with an open mind.

Don't waste your time

[Brownsbros3 · 1/10 · 1 October 2012]

I tuned in, because the premise intrigued me. By the time it was over, I decided that there went 60 minutes of my life that I'll never get back again. This was an absolutely wretched show featuring several graduates of the Keanu Reeves School of Wooden Acting. The lead actress, Jordana Spiro, is pretty, but that is about all she has going for her. Her character is completely unlikeable. I like characters I can root for, and her's isn't one of them. The only bright spot in the first episode was Michael Rappaport, who is always on his game.

The left wing activism is also a huge turnoff. That was probably my biggest beef on the show. It's alright for her to nudge her boyfriend into performing an abortion on a 14 year old girl, who got pregnant through casual sex, and then as doctors, they lie to her father about it. However, it is not okay for her to let a mobster, who had participated in criminal activity die? Stuff like this is why a lot of people are getting tired of Hollywood forcing their morality on the rest of us.

I can't believe their canceling this show

[Pudgycat · 10/10 · 6 January 2013]

There's not to many shows out there my son and I like watching together but the mob doctor was one of them. I was very disappointed when I heard they were canceling it. We don't like or watch reality shows and it seems like that's all that's out there. It seems that way anyway. My son also developed a crush on Dr. Devlin. It seems this series has a little of everything. Medicine, drama, love,family & criminal activity. Not to mention conflict in the workplace (hospital) What does it take for a show to make it? I wish I could get an answer to that question I would of like to see Franco and Grace make it as a couple and Constantine brought to justice There's never enough time.

Pilot

[Mike1388 · 5/10 · 20 September 2012]

Well well, here we go again, me writing new series pilot reviews and people hating what they read. I loved watching pilot of new shows, some are really good that made me continue to watch and some are just plain bad, weird and sometimes horribly funny. I have no intention on watching The Mob Doctor but I did catch the pilot and stick with it. The storyline has its moment; doctor that leads a double life; one as a great surgeon and the other as a mob doctor. See, that is where they (the writers) went wrong.

I have seen many doctors series and I am fed up of it. Are there no other professions in this world? Don't get me wrong, I love doctor, my dream was even to be one - but it never ceases to amazed me how gullible TV shows writers are when it comes to portraying doctors. Doctors are never meant to be Superheroes, they are just your average humans with extra-ordinary brain. Shows like House or Nurse Jackie, that portrays the 'weak' side of these professions got the most acclaimed. Where else, there are always other doctor series, like the drama whiner Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (Shonda loves her doctorz) - but you see, those drama series are an exception, they were never meant to be a rule. And if you roll your eyes reading what I just wrote, do yourself a favor and do a quick thinking. Remember Shonda's Off the map? or the recently canceled Saving Hope (to name few shows that got axe).

To cut my review short, Mob Doctor has potential,but I loathe that the main character has to be a doctor. I don't know how the writers are gonna pull it off for future references, but hey! if you want, you have to stick around and watch it (count me out, though).

Not Bad - Rating system hacked

[upx · 8/10 · 22 September 2012]

4.0 stars !

That's what this show was rated at IMDb a couple of days ago. Now it's 5.4 stars, and climbing. This also happened to "The L.A. Complex" (which is one of my favorite shows) and others. Seems like some group or person has hacked into the rating system here.

I don't usually like mob shows or movies, but the rating was so ridiculously low that I had to see for myself. And I was pleasantly surprised. I liked Jordana Spiro from "My Boys", and she's still gorgeous and did a good job here (s01e01) too.

As a fan of medical dramas (Grey's, Private Practice, Royal Pains, Saving Hope), I think this compares well. And I plan to watch at least a couple more episodes in the hopes that it continues to do as well or better that the first episode.

Very mediocre show

[Maniac-9 · 5/10 · 31 January 2013]

The Mob Doctor is a show I was looking forward to over the summer but it died out quickly with me once it premiered. I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

Jordana Spiro I like in certain roles like her in My Boys but it just doesn't really ring true as her playing a medical resident being forced to do back alley medical procedures on some mafioso's.

In the pilot episode they had Michael Rapaport as a mob guy who isn't believable as an Italian character in any way at all.

It's a show that might work better as a made for TV movie then an actual TV show itself.

Good Dr. "Grace" tries to be a good Dr. (thoracic surgeon) while also has a role in trying to pay her debt to the mob in Chicago.

[rolandreale · 8/10 · 25 September 2012]

Time will tell, but it looks like a good show to me. I like medical drama/mysteries/suspense/adventure. This has it all with the mob twist that makes it interesting and even more intriguing and suspenseful to watch. Good Dr. "Grace" is a thoracic surgeon trying to do her best juggling the demands of her job and her obligations to mob in Chicago. There's no rule book-Grace must face a moral dilemma in each case as she goes along, always trying to balance her conscience with what is the right and wrong thing to do. The stress she feels lets the audience feel her pain and frustration which draws people in to this new TV show that seems headed for success.

9:00 PM Mondays on FOX

A definite Hit

[lamont-hard · 8/10 · 17 September 2012]

The pilot gives us quite a bit to chew on. Lots of action and suspense. I was impressed by how it developed and the pacing could not have been better. More than anything I really loved the acting by the lead actress Jordana Spiro. I must admit I am bias as she is good in anything she does. Her look and feel fits this show to a tee. There is also great acting from the rest of the cast, Wendy Makkenna and Zack Gilford, I also detect it will have a soft side to it as the action slows to do human stories along the way. You will enjoy seeing scenery of the Chicago that does not make into most films and television. Over all I feel this will be a strong drama series based on, yes, just the first episode. Watch and enjoy.