We have good news for fans of white blouses: Hippocrate, adapted from the eponymous film, is the new Canal series that depicts a non-filtered hospital universe in the style of Emergency Room, but with a Frenchie sauce. Because there is good news: for once doctors are not operating in Seattle or Chicago, but under our latitudes.
Here is the diagnosis.
A high-tension start-off
Affected to the service of internal medicine in a leading public hospital of the Paris area, three interns, Chloé, an ambitious magna cum laude graduate, Alyson, a fresh and brave recruit, Hugo, son of the resuscitation unit director (aka Louise Bourgoin,Alice Belaïdi and Zacharie Chasseriaud), with the help of Arben, an Albanian coroner (Karim Leklou), are all confronted with a situation of crisis: all the licenced physicians are locked up in a hotel after the contamination of a patient by an unknown virus.
The quarantine that was supposed to last forty-eight hours seems to be continuing much longer. Totally immersed, the interns find themselves alone, having to cope with critical cases, and a totally overwhelmed service...
A hyper-realistic immersion
The master word of this ultra-precise and documented series: credibility. The nervous camera and the very well-written scenario propel us at the heart of the daily routine endured by white blouses. Between a patient who goes into convulsions under our very eyes, a sudden, devastating haemorraghe (hypochondriacs abstain!) but also jokes and wild night watches … if one day you dreamt of wearing a stethoscope: this show is made for you. And with reason.
The prescription is signed Thomas Lilti, a former doctor, who has become scriptwriter, and is showcasing a series inspired by his blockbuster film Hippocrates: Diary of a French Dcotor, released in 2014. Between two highly wired series, he manages to infuse the dose of romance needed to keep us watching with bated breath.
Verdict: a successful operation
Sustained by a terrific cast (let’s not forget Anne Consigny and Géraldine Nakache), here is a medical drama that boosts adrenaline and should be reimbursed by Social Security.
8 x 52 minutes
The 26th of November at 9pm on Canal +
Also discover the phenomenon book adapted as a series: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair
