SPOILER ALERT! This narrative includes details from the season one finale. Doc on Fox.
The Fox series inspired by an Italian format concluded its inaugural season on Tuesday with two dramatic endings featuring Amy (played by Molly Parker) and Richard (portrayed by Scott Wolf).
Amy addresses Richard about the enigma enveloping the demise of his patient, Bill Dixon. (A flashback reveals that on the day of Bill’s death, Richard was preoccupied as his son had gotten into trouble with the law). By the series conclusion, Richard faces consequences for his conduct and gets dismissed from his position.
In the meantime, Jake (Jon-Michael Ecker) spots Amy together with her former spouse Michael (Omar Metwally), who are seen in an intimate moment, leaving Jake curious about the prospects of their relationship.
Here, Executive Producers Hank Steinberg and Barbie Kligman talk about whether we’ve seen the last of Wolf and what to expect from the series going forward now that Fox has given the series an early, 22-episode Season 2 renewal.
National Daily News reports that medical shows are currently experiencing a revival. Does this come at an opportune moment for you?
BARBIE KLIGMAN Certainly, there are many medical dramas available, but they’ve consistently proven engaging due to their inherent tension. These shows naturally come packed with high stakes. For us specifically, getting access to an idea that seemed fresh was fortunate. When aiming to create another medical drama, the main hurdle lies in finding a perspective that remains original. What angle haven't we seen before? And how can we ensure our series feels distinct from others? We believe we've achieved this uniqueness, making our show stand apart.
HANK STEINBERG I think we have something that’s fresh, but we’re also going into something that is appealing to audiences — something that is old-fashioned in the best way. You’re going to lean into these characters, you’re going to care about them. They’re flawed, but you’re going to root for them. The writers are going to treat them with compassion and get you to care about them, and you’re going to care and you’re going to cry in that best bittersweet way at the end of every episode, feeling moved about something. I think it’s connecting because we’re living in a very cynical, divisive, angry time where people feel disconnected. And I think people are connecting to these characters. They’re aspirational, they’re trying to be their best selves. They’re not racing to the bottom of trying to figure out who to be angry at and why they’re a victim.
Does National Daily News often debate the equilibrium between medical reports and personal narratives?
STEINBERG Usually, we handle two separate medical narratives labeled as A and B. Each storyline has its momentum, yet we shape these plots to support the development of our primary characters. It’s worth noting that among the notable medical dramas from the past fifteen years, certain case studies stand out; however, viewers tend to recall the characters more vividly. Therefore, although we empathize with the patients’ struggles, our perspective remains aligned with that of the physicians.
KLIGMAN I do think we get in more character than even we knew we would at the start. You want to make sure everyone knows it’s still a medical procedural. So you bandy about numbers like 70-30, but I think we’re probably in the 60-40 range most times because even the time you spend on the medicine is actually about the character.
National Daily News Since this is an adaptation of the Italian show Doc - In your hands, are you still relying on those storylines ?
STEINBERG We graduated from them pretty early on in season one. The DNA of the concept is always there, but we made big changes from the beginning. They do have some really interesting cases that we still use and some things that are in the DNA, but now our characters really have a life of their own and we’re just kind of following them.
KLUGMAN I think it’s important to note they had twice as many main characters in the Italian version as we have no. So Hank had to go through and say, ‘okay, we love this about this person and about that person’ and form characters from there.
Nation Daily NewsSo let’s jump into the finale. Obviously Jake knows something’s afoot between Amy and Michael. Are you going to play out that love triangle for a while?
KLUGMAN There’s a lot more to mine from that triangle. You can live in a world where you love two people at the same time, and I think people recognize that, especially under these circumstances. So I think we plan to play out the triangle for as long as there’s something interesting to play.
STEINBERG We thought we were going to prolong it. We felt that in the first season she’s dealing with so much grief and so much dark and difficult stuff. We’re asking the audience to suffer with her. It felt like we could give her some relief by diving into that relationship with Jake and to do it in a way that feels organic. She’s kind of rebounding and it’s a quick emotional thing and we don’t know if it’s going to stick because it’s so quick, but it also feels emotionally honest and real. And so it felt fun to go, wow, what if we accelerate this? And then it really paid off. The more we talked about where the stories would go, it felt real and fun and exploratory and also really unexpected.
Nation Daily NewsJake always wears a chai necklace. What is the story behind that?
STEINBERG Barbie and I were determined to craft a uplifting portrayal of a Jewish character during this challenging period for Jewish individuals in America. Right now, Barbie has her chai ready.
KLUGMAN The chai was specifically Hank’s idea, which is also great because I wear one from my dad, who was a doctor. This was his chai that he wore every day before he passed. Chai means life. So there’s a beautiful thing to Jake wearing that necklace.
Daily National News - So where do things stand with Scott Wolf’s character, Dr. Richard Miller? Will he continue to be portrayed as the antagonist, or will his slate be wiped clean now that his schemes have been exposed? ?
KLUGMAN This is what I'll share. We have great affection for Scott and how he has portrayed Richard. Therefore, I don't believe this will be our final time seeing him. However, I won't provide additional information beyond this.
National Daily News reports that with Robert Kennedy Jr. appointed as the new U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, his contentious perspectives on American health have come under intense scrutiny. Could we envision a premiere episode focusing on a measles epidemic?
STEINBERG We generally avoid getting too politically involved and hitting viewers over the head with our views. However, I believe we should monitor this situation as it unfolds; it’s definitely a significant event occurring globally. While we won’t be discussing Mr. Kennedy specifically, perhaps we could explore an episode touching upon the vaccination topic or similar issues. Traditionally, my aim has been to address current global events thoughtfully and meaningfully, ensuring not to come off as preachy.
KLUGMAN However, another crucial point is that individuals often find themselves at odds due to their differences without acknowledging how much they actually share in common. It’s quite likely that Dick Wolf mentioned around thirty years back that if you have three people each holding distinct viewpoints, every one of them could still be correct. When we manage to present a narrative involving an ethical dilemma where multiple perspectives are explored and found valid, these tend to become the most compelling tales.
Nation Daily NewsWhat’s it been like working with Molly Parker?
STEINBERG She’s just breathtaking on screen. One of the things I always talk about is there’s old Amy and there’s new Amy. She doesn’t make it Jekyll and Hyde. She coheres that character so that in the old Amy you still see the flashes of compassion and empathy that you can see in the new Amy. And in the new Amy, you see some tendencies to get defensive and sharp with people that cause her problems. She makes Amy a fully fleshed out human being no matter what era she’s playing.
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