Royal Pains is one of those shows that American TV loves bright, breezy, obsessed with obscenely rich people, easy to watch and enjoy, but not exactly a masterpiece of entertainment. Mark Feurstein plays Hank Lawson, who comes across as sort of being the MacGyver of doctors, able to save peoples lives with just a paper clip and a rubber band. However in making a clinical decision to prioritise a poor patient over a hospital donor who subsequently dies (even though Hanks couldnt have known that) he promptly gets fired, his fiancé leaves him and his life falls into a hole.
A few weekslater, to try and get him out of his pit, Hank’s brother, Evan (Joeys Paulo Costanzo), convinces him they should go to the Hamptons for the weekend. After conning their way into a party at an opulent mansion, Hank ends up saving a womans life. From there on, despite his initial reservations, he finds himself more or less forced into life as a concierge doctor, a medic whos for hire to the rich and famous, and expected to be at their beck and call whenever they need them.
In some ways its a premise that ought to be annoying, particularly as many of the difficulties Hanks faces is because the rich people are assholes who refuse to be treated like other people, and would prefer to risk death and disfigurement rather than go to a hospital that treats the plebs. Its also one of those shows with an endless parade of nonsensically good-looking women, who are permanently in swimwear for no real reason, coming across as a little sexist, but I doubt many men will complain about that. However somehow it manages to stay above this, largely due to Feursteins charm, as well as the comedic skills of Paulo Constanzo.
The series is part soap, part House style medical procedural and part comedy, and it works surprisingly well, in an I-enjoyed-that-but-I-probably-wont-remember-anything-about-it-tomorrow way.
The first season features 12 episodes, including the double-length pilot, which range from Hank having to save the life of a senators son whose mother refuses to get him the hospital tretment he needs, to a mysterious disease appearing among the attendees of a bar mitzvah. It has to be said, the rich folks who live in the Hamptons dont half get a lot of strange diseases, but thats probably a good thing, as otherwise the show would be exceedingly dull.
It might be about as deep as a puddle and all rather silly, but Royal Pains is undoubtedly quite fun, and its a nice, breezy show to delve into if you feel the need for a bit of throwaway entertainment. The four disc set also includes some deleted scenes and an introduction to each episode, as well as a couple of decent audio commentaries, a gag reel and some video blogs.
Overall Verdict: A fun but silly show, which entertains even while youre aware it should probably be a lot more annoying that it is.
Special Features:
Audio Commentaries
Episode Intros
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
Video Blogs
Reviewer: Tim Isaac