Television Nurse Jackie

Hey guys,

Nurse Jackie, a new half-hour series, starts on Showtime on June 9th. It stars Edie Falco (Carmela from "The Sopranos"). You can watch the first episode on Hulu right now before it premies on televission.

The show's tagline on IMDB is " A nurse struggles to find a balance between the demands of her frenetic job at a New York City hospital and an array of personal dramas."

One of the reason why I think that this show may be popular amongst Bluelighters is that among Nurse Jackie's "array of personal dramas" is a back problem which she must self-medicate or risk losing her job.

Most interesting to me is the show's theme of the hospital staffs' illicit drug use. This theme has been talked about in other hospital dramas ("House" comes to mind) but I think that this is the first show to use that as one of its main plot points--and to do it so convincingly

The first episode only touches upon the Falco's character's drug use--throughout the episode she is seen snorting and unidentified narcotic and a main plot point seems to be her relationship (read: workplace fucking) with a doctor who provides her with Oxys.

But there appears to be a lot of room for development. Check it out!

i was bored a few days ago and watched this. it seems on par with other showtime's series like the u.s. of tara (as in not on the same level as weeds and such)... it is a time killer when you don't want to search or find much else on tv.
i enjoyed the backstage look at what goes on in the life of a not so straight laced nurse but they threw out a lot of character development that feel flat in the first episode. for example they portrayed her as being a stoic, sex swindling nurse with a smart aleck attitude for the first 29 minutes then breaking down crying and kissing a man. oh no, she has feelings! oh! it could have been presented in a much better, slower, way that would have made it a bit more believable.
the show is interesting enough to sit through but nothing to look forward to each week but thankfully you some people don't have to because it is ondemand and the episodes are put ondemand a week before they are shown on live tv.

thanks for the heads up on it being on a week early on demand. just watched it and loved it. and never saw her break down and cry, so i didn't get what wanderlust did...it was a quick show of emotion nothing more.


thumbs up. i haven't watched tv since weeds went off, i am happy to see something else i will look forward to.

I just wish a show would get drug use right...

I mean, what is she snorting? Whole, uncrushed time release spansules?

That still beats Dr. House going finishing a withdrawal from Hydrocone in one evening,

I like this show.

The uncrushed time-release part bothered me too... but I've got friends that do adderall that way because they hate parachuting and it's a little quicker than just taking the capsule. Ep 2 is a little better... I've never put percocet in my coffee but damn the sweetener packet thing is clever.

I'm actually going to school to be a nurse so this show is kind of cool to me. Nurses rarely ever get focus on tv, it's always the docs. I love the way the one doctor put it in the first episode... something to the effect of, "See, you care. You really want to help people. That's why you're a nurse. I cut open a bunny when I was five to see how it worked. That's why I'm a doctor."

TV: Nurse Jackie

Has anyone else had a chance to catch this new Showtime dramedy?

I really like it. The themes are believable and it avoids being formulaic. There is a caustic, almost tragic element to our protagonist, but she has a heart of gold.

Overall, this show has great potential. 5/5

yep, i've been watching since the first episode and found it to be most entertaining. one question though, does anyone know what the pills are she rails in the bathroom during her breaks in the E.R.? she consistently references vicodin, oxy, and other painkillers and has a closeted painkiller addiction, however the pills she snorts are capsules filled with tiny red, or blue and white balls. personally i've never seen a med constructed like this other than adderall, though my experience is primarily with the "popular" opioids oxy, hydro, dilaudid etc.

any ideas?

I noticed this too.

I've always taken it to be a sort of artistic symbolism. I mean, anyone can snort powder, but how neat is it to visualize it as little red balls?

This has just started over here (UK) and I really wanted to see it as I love Edie Falco. I've missed the first three of four episodes though, and don't really wanna miss anything.

Nurse Jackie is a great show. It has done wonders for the "doctors/nurses" drama genre, just like Dexter has done wonders for the "cops/crime scene" genre. It is basically a show based around relationships and opiates....the two things I care about most .
For another great show check out AMC's breaking bad...it's about a chemistry teacher who decides to start using his skills to make meth.

tribal girl said:

This has just started over here (UK) and I really wanted to see it as I love Edie Falco. I've missed the first three of four episodes though, and don't really wanna miss anything.

Click to expand...

I watched the first few episodes when I was at home over christmas, was worth a watch and there was fuck all else on when it was showing. Should be on iplayer if you want to catch up.

Cheers, Wibs.

Looks like I've got a bit of catching up to do. 5 episodes are a-watin' for me. :D

edit: caught up with all 5 episodes. I'm enjoying the humour, but I feel there needs to be just a lil' bit more of it to keep me on my toes. There's been a few choice moments thus far though. I'll stick with it for a while. :D

*Bump*

Anyone else get into this yet?

I watched the first season in it's entirety and loved it. Still awaiting the second season to air here though. I pretty much love all the characters too.

Totally love it. Love Edie Falcos acting & character, love that sexy british doc, love the casual drug use, love the weird humor, love that pharm guy eddie.

That nurse zoey; i like her but she kinda annoys me - such a strange attitude. She's worth a go tho.

Lol at the bit when that nurse sam is wrecked on benzos & changing those sheets like he was tripping!

Cant get enough

man, thought this gonna be some new Showtime softcore porn show.

Has anyone else noticed that Edie Falco always plays beside Paul Shulze?

In Oz, they were both COs
In Sopranos they were a potential love interest (wife/priest)
Nurse Jackie, they had an affair

Any I'm missing?

I love the show.
Of course

Absolutely love Nurse Jackie. Akalitus is so funny.

Cyc said:

Has anyone else noticed that Edie Falco always plays beside Paul Shulze?

In Oz, they were both COs
In Sopranos they were a potential love interest (wife/priest)
Nurse Jackie, they had an affair

Any I'm missing?

Click to expand...

Well picked up. I hadn't noticed. His characters in Nurse Jackie and Oz are so different. I also like Zoe, she's good value. Down here in Melbourne Nurse Jackie is on before Californication . It's a good hour of TV.