The Doctors

[Soaplovers]

One thing about Penny was that she was a complex character...not all good and not all bad.

The only writer that didn't have a good handle on her character was Marland.  She was essentially a Stepford wife under Marland...and I will say he inherited writing the character as she was going through some changes started by Depriest (she makes a major mistake while in school...and neither parent is willing to bail her out so she starts working for Matt as a stop gap till she figured out if she wanted to be a doctor).  At that point Marland takes over and turns her into a Stepford wife.

[Jdee43]

It's probably best to pretend that the show ended earlier than it did, or to imagine that if it hadn't been canceled, a later regime would have corrected all the ridiculous mistakes made.

[victoria foxton]

All the other Mike's after Peter Burnell are very bland. In the end i think Mike fared better than other characters.

[teplin]

Armand Assante was bland? He seems completely wrong for the part, but I've never seen anything in which I'd say he was bland. A ham, yes. 

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[victoria foxton]

I actually forgot AA. He always seemed angry.

[Matt Powers]

Totally agree that all the Mike’s after Peter (save for AA) were bland and devoid of personality. I think of AA as a character named Mike Powers, but not the Mike Powers. So radically different-after he left they tried to revert the character without success. I kind of liked Michael Landrum, he had a little edge but wasn’t OTT like AA

[Paul Raven]

Andirondack Daily Enterprise March 29 1963

Jock Gaynor, NBC new candidate for matinee idol is fair haired young actor who starting Monday will be playing an intense, dedicated young surgeon about 30 years old. • If this sounds like a character out of a night-time television program on a rival network, the resemblance is not entirely accidental.

The epidemic of medical anthologies,as these hospital based programs are called, is now spreading into the daytime schedules. Gaynor's The Doctors is just one of two starting next week. Everybody concerned insists The Doctors' is not a soap opera,in the traditional sense. That is mainly because each half-hour show will be a complete story— and does not^have organ music.

The Doctors carefully has covered all explored bases. Gaynor will be the surgeon; Richard Roat will be a specialist in internal medicine, and instead of a nurse there will be a pretty pediatric specialist. Instead of a wise psychiatrist, there will be the hospital chaplain. Gaynor, who says most of his previous television and motion pic- ture experience has been devoted to playing bad Indians and good white men in Westerns, is now taking surgery lessons. His first case on Monday, will be a little girl with a hernia. And from there the show will delve into all areas of physical and emotional distress on a one- a-day basis. 

[Chris B]

The Pollock's can be so hit or miss. 1973 has been a mixed bag. I like the addition of Penny and Mona, but the writing for Penny is pretty weak so far and with Mona, they've completely dumbed down Steve to make the story work. I love her interactions with Carolee and Ann, but Steve has really suffered with her around. Ann is another example of a great newbie now that I think about it.

I didn't realize I was watching his exit story, but he's been gone so long I believe I've seen the end of Peter Burnell's Mike. It's unfortunate he went out in such a dark way (hooked on drugs, forcing himself on Toni, potentially having sex with 16 year old Penny). It's like they threw the book at him on the way out. It's going to be incredibly difficult for the next actor in the role picking up from such a low point in his life. 

[Paul Raven]

New York Critics Poll 1964 13 Broadway critics cast their votes

Most promising new actress 2 TD cast members

Elizabeth Hubbard (Passion of Josef D) 1 vote

Nancy Franklin (Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory) 1 vote

Barbara Loden got the most votes -3 for After the Fall.

[Chris B]

I’m in January 1974 and I’m beginning to think Mike is going to be gone for a while. For a few months now there’s a new character, Dr. Alan Stewart and he seems to be filling Mike’s place on the canvas. So far the actor is fantastic and I’m loving him with Matt, Toni and Maggie. His scheming wife Margo is interesting as well. 
 

The pacing can be off, but the show keeps adding really interesting characters. It’s nice to see them expanding after keeping the cast small for so long. It also still feels very much like The Doctors at this point. 

[Paul Raven]

Do you think Gil Gerard would have made a good Mike Powers?

They had a lot of trouble with casting Mike.

[Chris B]

I do, especially since his storyline and the people he’s interacting with are the same as Mike. I’ve heard about the Mike recasts, but I haven’t seen them yet. I’m very curious about that though. I know we have a few more to go through which is a shame because I got so used to having one actor in the role for so long. 

[Chris B]

Okay so now Mike is "dead" and it's very obviously a soap death. I don't really see the point. It's very strange they've essentially recast him with Gil Gerard's Alan right down to him mainly sharing scenes with Toni, Mike and Maggie. In general the show is running out of steam. The Mike story isn't memorable, John's reign of terror is done, Mona's gone which has left Steve and Carolee in limbo and Mike and Maggie aren't doing much. I'm curious to see where the second half of 1974 takes them as they begin to launch their next long stories. 

I'm really excited to get to 1975. I know thats the last year for The Pollocks and when all of the endless HW changes start. I'm ready to head into that journey, which from reading here I know had many ups and downs. I've heard so much about the Dancy's and Nola, so it'll be nice to finally see those characters in the coming years.

[Jdee43]

I managed to watch July and August 1968, and It was tough, July more than August. I don't like the Matt/Maggie/Karen/Steve story. I miss Bethel Leslie.

If Bethel was in fact let go, I could see why, as I don't see her playing this version of Maggie. Maggie has become more unlikable and has lost some of her smarts and savvy. I feel Bethel's Maggie might have figured out that two of her co-workers were having an affair, Steve and Karen. I feel she would have at least listened to Matt. Not so Lydia Bruce's Maggie. I feel sorry for Lydia Bruce, that this was the story she had to start with, with her character in such a poor state.

Karen and Steve have zero chemistry. Steve has been written poorly from the beginning. From a bad doctor and questionable man, a slacking Romeo with murky motivations, he finds out Karen is pregnant and all of a sudden he wants to do the right thing; he is no longer a Romeo, and everyone is calling him a good man and good doctor? Ok. It's a 180 that was not really earned on screen.

The show really misses the light John Rice character and the humor. Young janitor Jody is a poor substitute. Also, when they tried to give comedy to Steve and Karen, like when they were getting their marriage license, I cringed; that felt wrong: they are not a funny couple.

I am surprised how repetitious the show is with its overall plots. Karen is going through what Althea went through 6 months before. Anna's situation is another version of the Nathan Bunker case. 

The show is good, but it does have its limitations. I find the limitations especially come out when I binge watch; spreading the shows out is much better.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Jdee43

[DramatistDreamer]

Has anyone else been watching these discussions about The Doctors on the It’s Real Good TV website? Clearly, I haven’t been keeping up because I am just now finding out about this.

https://watch.itsrealgoodtv.com/player/43132/stream?assetType=episodes&playlist_id=165