HBO’s introducing the new comedy series Getting On, based on the BBC series of the same name, on November 24, 2013 at 10pm. The new half-hour comedy show will have a six-episode season one run with Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash, and Mel Rodriguez in starring roles.
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (Big Love‘s creative team) are behind the American version of Getting On which follows “the daily lives of overworked nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of tending compassionately to their aging charges in a rundown, red-tape-filled hospital extended-care wing, blending outrageous humor with unexpected moments of tenderness.”
Guest stars include Molly Shannon, Daniel Stern, Harry Dean Stanton, June Squibb, and Irma P. Hall.
The Plot: At the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, Cal., the staff attends to the needs of female patients who are often “getting on” in years while dealing with the challenges of a health-care bureaucracy in need of an overhaul. Even as they attempt to serve their charges under less-than-ideal circumstances, the lives of this ragtag crew are complicated by conflicting agendas, both professional and personal.
Getting On Premiere Episode:
Episode #1: “Born on the Fourth of July”
Debut: SUNDAY, NOV. 24 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 24 (midnight), 25 (11:30 p.m.), 27 (midnight), 28 (8:00 p.m.) and 29 (10:30 p.m.), and Dec. 1 (6:15 p.m.), 6 (10:00 p.m.) and 11 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 25 (10:30 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.), and Dec. 1 (8:10 a.m.)
It’s July 4th at the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital. On her first day of work, nurse DiDi Ortley (Niecy Nash) discovers feces on a lounge chair, and is torn between the conflicting orders of veteran nurse Dawn Forchette (Alex Borstein), who wants to file an “incident report” before removing it; temporary medical director Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf), who is in need of a stool sample for her medical study; and supervising nurse Beverly Raymes (Telma Hopkins), who has had endemic issues with floor cleanliness and wants the seat sterilized.
In a heated argument with Nurse Raymes, Dr. James has a public meltdown and ends up permanently assigned to this dead-end job. Meanwhile, the staff tries to determine the identity of an Asian woman who was found wandering on a highway and debate what to do with a deceased patient’s birthday cake. Teleplay by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Miguel Arteta.
