Spot Check: 'Pains' Still On Track (Even If I'm Not)

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Regular readers may have noticed I've not reviewed the past two weeks worth of episodes of Royal Pains.

Now, before anyone assumes I've gone off the show, let me state for the record that I haven't. Not even close. In fact, I look forward to all-things Hank Med every Thursday at 10 p.m. on USA Network. And, seeing as the series was just renewed for a second season, I'm completely thrilled its found its audience, averaging anywhere in the 6-7 million viewers.

And yet, that's my problem: it's humming along so nicely that I'm not finding anything overly compelling to write-up; instead, I'm finding that it's become the show that lets me take a vacation during the week.

I know that sounds like an "ouch," but it's not meant to be.

Honest. Swear. Promise.

It's just that the show has become somewhat of diversion for me - that is, it's the one I want to watch for no other reason than because it's fun.

It's not pushing my buttons like Raising the Bar.

It's not making me wonder how BJ is going to get herself out of said scenario on The Closer.

It's not simultaneously making me proud and driving me nuts like Saving Grace.

It's just ... well, fun. And rather than repeating the same thoughts again and again (Hank rescues client/Diveya does her thing/Evan is still annoying/Life is good in the Hamptons), I think I'd like to switch to more of a spot-check write-up.

When it wows me, I'm here.

When it's just fun, I'm on vacation.

And when it's somewhere in between ... well, I'll figure that out before the second season begins.

My biggest question as it stands right now: what is up with Boris? When is he coming back? What is with his supposed perfect-health-illness?

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

'Pains' Next EHM

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Probably thought I'd forgotten about last week's episode of Royal Pains, eh?

More like a) I had to catch up with it via the DVR this weekend; and, b) didn't want to interrupt PTR's birthday wishes to fave Kristen Bell.

And yet, after watching the ep I felt ... well, not sure.

So Hank and Co. attend a "Bark" Mitzvah (yes, seriously ... hey, it's the Hamptons) at New Parts Newberg's palace, who also just so happens to have signed a retainer whereby Hank is at her beck and call for the slightest of ailments. It is there that partygoers - including Newberg - seem to be getting sick faster than Hank and Co. can diagnose them. It seemed as if they had a dangerous outbreak of who knows what on hand, but that was before Hank got Dr. Macgeyver-y once again to figure out the true source of the problem: Newberg's DOG was responsible for the spread of a kind of staph infection to individual partygoers, who then passed it to each other.

'kay. That's new.

I have to give the writers credit. They've got to come up with what I'm going to begin calling the EHM: Emergency Hank Moment each week, and it has to be both "out there" in concept (given it IS the Hamptons where anything goes) YET still serious in medical nature (as in, we don't really want to be laughing at seriously ill people - no matter how absurd they and/or their surroundings may be).

As such, I've started to watch this show almost as if it were a game. When is the EHM? Who is it going to be? How much is Evan going to get in the way? Is Divya going to rock it? What is Jill's role?

On the flip side, this becomes somewhat formulaic, and I have yet to determine if I might get tired of the routine. There is enough "other" stuff going on that keeps me interested - mostly the inter-personal relationships being developed by everyone BUT Evan. And, the setting continues to prove ever so much fun to watch not to mention listening to the tremendously snappy and witty dialogue with everyone BUT Evan.

Dunno, though. We shall see.

In other news ... Divya's got an arranged marriage going on, eh? I confess I wondered whether this whole my-parents-don't-really-know-what-I-do thing might give way to a surprise or two as it pertains to this character's development. Seriously ... how long could she really keep that a secret in such an exclusive world where everyone seems to know everyone's business?

On the Jill and Hank front ... I did like the way their relationship was tested during this ep given it was Jill who suddenly got a case of need-to-keep-it-on-the-down-low given her previous personal history. Of course that was a very temporary case of DL-ness; she was over it by the end of the ep. And yet, it does seem to be a conflict of professional interest for her to be involved with Hank, and I'm not sure we've seen the last of this potential blind spot - especially if she seems to have already been judged by some of her peers for mixing too much business with pleasure.

And Evan ... meh, who cares.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

'Pains' Own Royal Pain

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So, after enjoying a week off, Royal Pains returned last week with more of the same of what bothered me when we last left the Hamptons.

Evan Lawson.

Seriously, just.go.away.

As much as I liked the back and forth rapid fire one liners in the pilot (or that Paulo Costanzo and Mark Feuerstein could be brothers in real life), the subsequent episodes have left me feeling slightly smothered by this Evan character. As in, he's starting to seem like one of those rogue robots in WALL-E who needs to be sent to the repair ward.

Cue Sigourney Weaver's voice over.

Caution: Evan Lawson.

Caution: Evan Lawson.

I've also started to wonder if half of what Paulo Costanzo is saying in his scenes is actually written into the script, or if he is just riffing indefinitely and Mark Feuerstein is left to keep up.

If it is more riffing than script, I don't like it.

If it is more script than riffing, I still don't like it.

Again, we have the Trust Me problem. Too much random chatter from the mouth of a character that is supposed to seem witty or funny but ends up being way too much of an earsore. Or, we have such an absurdly spazball character opposite a straight arrow character that it makes you wonder how the straight arrow would allow the spazball to remain such a liability in his/her life for so long - especially if jobs are on the line and irregardless of whether they are related to one another.

At the end of the day, I've seen all this before.

It's not original.

I need to feel the Evan character is worth caring about. Right now, I don't. Right now, the show could be doing just fine WITHOUT the Evan character given there's plenty of interesting and neurotic stories to be told of the Hamptonites. Thus, wasting so much screen time on Evan and his non-stop rambling takes away from everyone - and everything - else.

If we were suppose to be seeing his "softer" side this past week, it didn't work for me. I didn't buy into the "manny" (read: nanny) act - especially after he once again pretended to have experience in something he does not so he could once again weasel his way into mooching off of another of Hank's patients/assignments (this time, the super-secluded getaway of super-exclusive family whose super-private matron is about to give birth and of whom Hank was charged to look after).

Is this all we're ever going to get with Evan? Is this all this characters has? I think it worked for me in the pilot because the character of Hank was so lost that Evan seemed his only out. That is, Evan - being so unlike Hank, so out there in his own being - was perhaps the only thing to snap Hank out of his downward spiral.

I just didn't think we'd have to get this episode after episode. It's already getting old - and we're only a few episodes into the series.

In other news ... I liked Jill trying to recruit Hank into being an ER doctor for Hamptons Heritage. This would obviously create a whole bunch of issues mixing personal with business BUT it forced Hank to admit he's actually enjoying what he's doing AND doesn't feel like he wants to give it up.

Note to writers: Can you do less with Evan and more Divya? She steals EVERY scene.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

Week's Roundup: The Closer; Raising the Bar; Deadliest Catch; Saving Grace; Royal Pains

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Since I've been completely bowled over by real life this week, I'm dreadfully behind on recapping. Sooo, in the interest of time, space and the final frontier, I'm going to wrap it all up in this post ... and borrow a page from Editor-in-Chief TVFan's "The Good" / "The Bad" Bones write-ups.

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The Closer

The Good: Brenda Leigh Johnson has a history of protecting Sergeant David Gabriel. She also has a history of not taking lightly to other departments butting into her business - whether they have the right to or not. In this week's episode we got both. When Gabriel found himself in an odd mess of wrong place, wrong time, thought-I-saw-a-one-armed-man scenario, she clicked into her protective mode once again. And when Mary McDonnell's Capt. Sharon Raydor, head of the Force Investigation Division (FID), begins investigating Gabriel ... well, that went over like a lead balloon making for some FANTASTIC antagonistic chemistry between the two in-charge female characters. That said, I've always felt BJ's relationship dynamic with Gabriel was one of the show's strongest - there were a couple of eps las season ("Ruby") where Gabriel lost it, and it was only BJ who could really square him away. His botched relationship with Detective Daniels was also something BJ warned against, tried to steer him in the right direction. And yet, that leads us to ...

The Not-So-Good: ... not liking "repeat" kind of storylines whereby it feels as if I've seen it before. Unfortunately, this whole thing with BJ protecting Gabriel has a been there, done that kind of vibe to it. Now, using it as a way to introduce the Mary McDonnell character WAS good; I'm definitely looking forward to how that plays out given the talent contained therein. However, I didn't feel wowed. And ... can I just ask why Jon Tenney's Fritz Howard seems to have been reduced to being a house husband and cat babysitter? I guess that is going to change with next week's ep, but I find myself being a little less-than-impressed with his reduced screen time. Then again, that's just MHO.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.


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Raising the Bar

The Good: The case, which involved determining whether an attack by a group of African Americans on a gay man constituted a hate crime - even when said gay man had somewhat of a history provoking people into confrontation. I have to say I really wasn't sure how this was going to go; and, the fact that one African American man from the group WAS convicted even though he was not the one who actually assaulted the gay man had me thinking about our legal system in a way I normally don't. Then again, this show makes me do that quite a bit - which is a good thing. And ... can I just say Judge Farnsworth rocks? He's so neurotically brilliant that I forget there even is a Judge Trudy Kessler. I have to say his interactions with Jerry are far more interesting to watch - almost like a chess match vs. a bullying contest (which seems to be Kessler's MO). Button anyone?

The Not-So-Good: None.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

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Deadliest Catch



Good Juju: The Wizard's Captain Keith finally caught a break this week, stumbling upon some serious crab and getting back to doing what he does best: fishing. Given the last two weeks of PTSD, it seemed he was due for some good juju. How long it will last will be anyone's guess. However, note to Keith: don't ever do that tarp nonsense again.

Bad Juju: Last week, I wondered what the odds were for the Cornelia Marie to actually make it into St. Paul before being frozen in place by the fast approaching ice pack. Turns out they DID make it, but not before Captain Phil blows an engine ramming the ship THROUGH the ice pack TO make it so as not to spoil his entire load of crab. After five days of being frozen into the docks AND $67,000 in repairs, that circulation pipe leak from last week seems like child's play now, eh? I'm not sure this is the Cornelia Marie's year, and I kinda agree with Phil that it seems the ship is being held together by band aids and crazy glue. Just me?

Did You See My Gear?: The Northwestern's Captain Sig finally lost his gamble fishing so close to the ice pack. As in, it moved in quicker than expected and almost swallowed his gear. I don't even know how they managed to salvage the pots - when the buoys are barely visible, dragged three miles from position. Not to mention having to make sure the hook line doesn't snag on the ice when they DO retrieve the pots. Seriously, these guys pull off what seem to be the most miraculous things to us, the average viewer, but of which for them is just a normal day at the office.

New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American and the new boat, the Incentive. You can also catch up with Deadliest Catch folks on Twitter: fvnw_erin / CaptPhilHarris / northwesternpat / NorthwesternPR / captjohnathan / northwesternsig / DeadliestCatch (which is actually the Cornelia Marie) / DiscoveryChPR.


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Saving Grace



The Good: Grace seemed to pull a Brenda Leigh Johnson this week in that she kind of went pseudo-undercover in an alcoholics anonymous group (irony?) to find the killer of one of the group members seeing as no members talk about each other or what is discussed in group OUTSIDE of group. Soooo, she befriends one gal, a former sponsor, does a pretty good impression of being a fall down drunk (not a stretch for Grace), and manages to fool said woman into confessing who did what. She also seemed to have no qualms about letting the woman GET DRUNK to tell her this. Hmmmm. I kind of thought it was genius, but probably bordering on unethical. Like, something BJ would do. And ... how about Rhetta? Awww. So bummed she's got to sell her farm. Still one of the best relationship dynamics on the show is Grace and Rhetta, not to mention the ever blossoming partnership between Earl and Grace.

The Not-So-Good: Ham's obsession - make that addiction - to Grace, which thankfully is only being spoken about and NOT acted upon of late given Grace has got other things on her mind. Seriously. Get a life, Ham. Sitting, staring at your phone, hoping she's going to call makes you look like a goob. And this is Grace Hanadarko - she isn't going to be settling down with you any time soon. I've really come to kind of loathe this relationship (gee, you couldn't tell, right?), especially as Grace seems to have turned such a big corner in accepting her role alongside Earl. Ham seems like yesterday's news, and I'm afraid Kenny Johnson is playing it too much on one note for me. Half the time I think the character is drunk, when in fact, he's just slurring his speech around as if he WERE drunk. And the smothering/stalking thing has got.to.go. They need to write in another girlfriend for him or something.

New episodes of Saving Grace air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TNT. You can watch full episodes of the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site. You can also visit EmbraceYourGrace.com to share your stories of how you embrace your inner-Grace.


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Royal Pains



The Good: Let's just call it everything. Again. I am consistently enjoying nearly every aspect of this show. And can I just get another Amen to the aerials?!?!?!?! The shots are just spectacular. Anyhoooo, it was good to get to see Divya get out on her own (as it were) and handle some things without Hank's supervision. Seriously, she is the BEST thing to happen to him. And she can tell Evan to stick it where the sun don't shine (thank.God.). So can Boris (let's get an Amen for Campbell Scott who is just so quietly powerful in his role). The main patient this week was interesting, having what I'll call and almost-stroke where she lost her memory and had to be administered to in a short period of time to avoid permanent damage. Again, Hank to the rescue, which for me, doesn't play overly cheesy. I even liked the throw back to the fact that he was having to deal with the fact his now defunct wedding date arrived. He confessed to Jill - who seems to have had her own failed engagement.

The Not-So-Good: Evan. Seriously, shut.the.frak.up. This is no disrespect to Paulo Costanzo, but I'm starting to have Trust Me flashbacks whereby Tom Cavnagh's Conner would just ramble on ridiculously - bordering on mumbling - to the point of overkill. We get Evan is supposed to be annoying, pushy, press Hank's buttons, possibly get everyone in trouble by his cockiness. But every other scene? It's starting to detract from the other characters, who for me, have become far more interesting. Evan seems almost like a cartoon at times. My advice would be to dial it down.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

'Pains' Takes it To the Good People

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So, I am just wondering if I can trade places with Dr. Hank Lawson for ... oh, I don't know. A day? A week? Forever?

Seriously.

I know I should be watching Royal Pains with some sort of semi-critical eye. But, seeing as I just can't get past all the frak-tastic cinematography of all-things Hamptons, I find myself doing my own WALL-E impression - staring at the TV screen, wanting to press my little record button so I can play back the sweeping aerials and beachfront views when I'm all by myself.

This week's second episode picked up brilliantly from the series premiere. More importantly, it further cemented what Mark Feuerstein told us in that Dr. Hank isn't just catering to rich folk.

He's actually trying to be a pretty darn good doctor to those who really need it, but can't afford it (yes, Virginia, they are some folks out Hampton way who don't have all the money in the world). I'm digging the fact Hank actually cares about his patients and recognizes the rather cushy position in which he finds himself allows him to do a whole lot more good for those who DON'T have oodles of Benjamins lying around. And it's not done in a soap-boxy, preachy, doesn't-the-medical-system-suck-and-I'm-going-to-single-handedly-change-it kind of way. It's more like a lightbulb going on in his head, and he's quietly taking to it one at a time.

I also dig the wonderful budding frimance (sorry, did I just make that up? Friendship and romance as one word? Whatever) that is blossoming between Hank and Jill. Jill's position as hospital administrator allows her to essentially aid Hank in his Robin Hood of Medicine routine - which may seem too convenient for some, but not for me. Forgive me if I like it when sometimes you just know the right people at the right time and space, and through the creative license of television, good things get to happen to good people.

And the dialogue ... w.o.w. Fast. Funny. Sharp. And just spot on.

I'm trying to figure out how I can start planning a trip east.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

'Pains' Gives a Royally Good First Impression

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Character. Setting. Conflict.

Three critical elements to any good story told anywhere in this solar system.

Three elements harped on by my creative writing teacher.

Three elements that move a story.

On first impressions, I'm happy to say the new USA Network series, Royal Pains, has all three.

And thensome.

Character: Dr. Hank Lawson, an up-and-coming New York ER doctor who decides to do the right thing then gets fired for it. That is, he saves the life of a less-than-well-to-do patient whilst one of the hospital's most precious, wealthy, powerful and important patients dies on the operating table. As such, Hank's blackballed from getting a job in any other ER within 8 million light years of Earth as a lengthy malpractice suit begins.

Setting: To escape his new found life of nothingness - which includes a break-up with his fiancé, his house being two steps short of being repossessed, and one too many boxes of cold pizza - Hank ventures with his younger brother - albeit reluctantly - to the Hamptons. Enough said.

Conflict: After his fair share of sarcastic - and might I say clever - banter with all of the Botox Barbies, rich boy know-nothings and every other version of extreme wealthy-ite that frequent any Hampton party at any given moment, Hank is forced into making a medical rescue at said party, which in turn, makes him Concierge Doctor # 1. Given he has to operate in almost a MacGyver-like existence (since treating patients in this manor is generally kept on the DL), he isn't all that comfortable with his new role. It isn't what he was born to do. Or is it? He questions why he's even in the Hamptons, and how fixing flat tire boob jobs could possibly be worthwhile. Then, he saves the life of a young teenage hemophiliac where dad's presence basically boils down to a black American Express card.

It is this interesting dilemma - Hank having to cater to the rich as the only way to really still practice his love and dedication to medicine - that I find curious. Not to mention the show gives us a look at the idea of concierge medicine: private doctors for hire by those who can afford it. As star Mark Feuerstein recently told us, it's a burgeoning business. Given the state of our health care system - or lack thereof - it doesn't seem difficult to understand why. If you could afford to pay a well-pedigreed doctor to take care of you, and thus, bypass the hassle of all the HMO/PPO/TKO/WTF insurance lethargy that has choked all sense of reason OUT of the health care system in this country, wouldn't you?

I sure the heck would.

But the show isn't political. It isn't saying this business is right or wrong. It's just saying this exists, and here's a creative look at it. And as such, it gets points from me for taking the "medical drama" concept and turning it on its edge.

Or, perhaps you could say, giving it an edge.

Not to mention placing it in an eye-candy location like the Hamptons makes the show ridiculously fun to watch. Like a weekly vacation. And poking fun at Hampton-ness is also kick. They are world all unto themselves and proud of it. What size is your Learjet?

Mark Fuerestein delivers a solid performance as Hank. He has an uneasy easiness in suddenly finding himself the "It" guy in an exclusive environment that is a far cry from the ER doc he was groomed to be. There are some out there who think he's too bland and understated in this role, but I disagree. It is this understated and NOT over the top performance that makes us truly feel as if Hank is settling in in the most unsettled of ways.

There is a spectacularly genius chemistry between Hank and younger brother, Evan, portrayed by Paulo Costanzo. This is as good as the now defunct Eric McCormack/Tom Cavanagh Trust Me partnership. The dialogue between Hank and Evan just.rips - as good as Mary and Marshal over on In Plain Sight. Got to hand it to USA Network: they know characters.

Rounding out the supporting cast is the insane precision of Hank's new assistant, Divya, to which Reshma Shetty is pitch-perfect. Divya is ambitious, persistent and unwavering, but not in an annoying way. She comes off as the most crucial asset Hank is going to have as he undertakes this new role. And, Jill Flint takes the turn as the administrator of the Hampton's hospital, which caters to the ordinary folk and to which the richy-riches refuse to go unless forced by some freak force of nature. There's some romantic inclinations between Hank and Jill, but it's again subtle.

And did we mention Campbell Scott portrays Boris, Hank's new "landlord" - the one who threw the party and hired Hank on the spot?

Character. Setting. Conflict.

With those key elements so well displayed, Royal Pains has got me interested.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

Mark Feuerstein Enters the Promised Land in 'Royal Pains'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I love my West Coast. I do.

But we don't have anything like Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket.

And we sure as heck don't have anything like the Hamptons.

All three are summer destinations of, among others, the rich, extremely rich, ridiculously rich, famously infamous, infamously famous and everything else in between - including tourists who can really only look, not touch.

Suffice it to say there's an allure, an exclusivity, and an amazing sense (as one local once told me) of extreme wealth on display in all three places - but particularly in the Hamptons. As a West Coaster, I can say I've been, seen, and wished I could stay longer. I'll have to die and come back as an heir to some fortune before I ever truly experience it from the wealthy-not-on-a-budget side of things.

So ironic, then, that Mark Feuerstein might've been born to play the role of Dr. Hank Lawson, concierge doctor to Hampton wealthy-ites, on USA Network's new series, Royal Pains, which premieres June 4th at 10 p.m.

That, or he just grew up in the right city, went to just the right schools and learned just exactly what the allure was of this magical place.

"I grew up in New York City," says Mark, as we joined him on a recent conference call to discuss the premiere season. "[I went] first [to] a public school, then a private school. When I got to the private school in Manhattan, I learned of what we called 'The Promised Land,' which are the Hamptons. I’ve always had an affinity for the Hamptons. I think it is one of the most romantic, beautiful, pristine [and] exclusive places on earth - in a private and kind of meditative way. So, when I heard about a show which was about a doctor set in the Hamptons, I jumped at it."

But it wasn't just the locale that appealed to him about being a part of the show.

"The role of Hank Lawson was a dramatic, comedic and romantic lead with all this dimension and everything that a good cable show has to offer. It was [also] on USA, which supports its shows rather than makes them crazy, as they do sometimes at the networks. I just decided that this was just my new vision quest, and I had to have it. A month later, after a relatively rigorous audition process, I got it and I was in heaven - and I still am."

Being on the call with Mark, it's hard not to find his enthusiasm for character and show contagious. But more than that, it's a closer look at the business of concierge medicine - doctors for hire.

"I had not heard of concierge medicine before [doing the show]," says Mark. "[But] my brother and I both would wonder, when we were sitting in the emergency room for five hours waiting for a doctor after getting banged in the head or breaking an arm in a wrestling match, saying, 'What do rich people do when they get hurt? Are they sitting here for five hours, waiting for some triage nurse to get you?' Here’s the answer: it’s concierge medicine. It’s private physicians for hire .... I just read an article in the New York Times that in this economic crisis of this country lots of things are getting hit, but one of the few things that is not only remaining stable as an industry but actually growing is concierge medicine. I guess it’s because even in times of panic or especially in times of financial crisis, people are still most concerned about their health; and, if there’s anything they would still spend the money on [it] is to guarantee that they don’t get sick. Furthermore, in times of financial crisis, their jobs will depend on their physical and mental well-being, so it will behoove them to protect that above all else. The good thing is the character [of Hank] has evolved, so I’m not just taking care of rich people. I take from the rich and also give to the poor."

Other highlights from the call:

On the challenges and appeal of playing Hank: "Hank is a complicated guy, because as a child his father lost all the family’s money in the stock market. You [also] find him, at the beginning of the pilot, getting fired for not bending over backwards and risking a neighborhood kid’s life to save a rich guy. So, he has a very tenuous and conflictual relationship to money, and [now] he is being asked to take care of people with a lot of it. So, I love the inner conflict built into the situation. I also think he’s just a good guy at heart, who wants to do good and make good on his Hippocratic Oath to take care of people. He's also a good brother. He looks out for people, and his heart is in the right place."

On how Royal Pains fits into the USA Network lineup and what sets it apart from other shows: "I’ve been on my share of network dramas and comedies, and the problem sometimes in a network is they have a single-minded focus on making the show true to whatever genre it is. So, if you’re on a drama, it better be procedural, it better fulfill all the demands of a procedural show, and you better keep those episodes independent so that if I’m watching the show in seven years as its syndicated on some other cable network, I don’t have to know what happened before or after the episode, and everything is meant to support the procedure. If you’re on, say, a comedy, everything has to be funny and wacky and zany. But somehow, USA has found the perfect marriage of procedural drama and comedy. They have it in Psych, they have it in Burn Notice, they have it in Monk, they have it in In Plain Sight; every show manages to somehow blend comedy and drama and tell a story that might be slightly serialized. So, you do have to tune in every week to see [where certain] relationship[s] are at. But at the same time, if you tune in [to our show], you’ll watch a medical drama - a medical story told from beginning to middle to end - [that] will satisfy all the demands of a procedure while giving you all this character, all this story, all this nuance and comedy along the way."

On Hank's less obvious characteristics, and the journey the audience is set to take with him: "Hank doesn’t know what the heck he’s doing there in the Hamptons. You know, he meets a girl he kind of likes - maybe loves - but beyond that, he was meant to be an emergency surgeon in a hospital in Brooklyn, and he lost [that job]. Why wouldn’t he just go to another big city and find another job as an emergency room? Well, he’s landed in the Hamptons, and he’s going to stay to see what it holds for him. He’s taken a turn in his life where he’s decided he’s going to be more impetuous, less planned out. The plan he had of the perfect life didn’t work out. So, really every week, we’re figuring along with Hank what he’s doing there."

On being the "Robin Hood of Medicine": "In [one] episode, there are all these people who are not rich, [but] who have been left behind by the medical care system. [T]here’s this pile of papers of people who all have lost their medical coverage - their COBRA’s have run out, their Blue Cross/Blue Shield premium has gotten too expensive. I steal some of those papers from Jill [administrator at the local Hamptons hospital and potential love interest, played by Jill Flint] and decide to go find these people. I find a guy who works on the docks in Montauk - he has Hepatitis C. I decide he’s going to be my patient, and I’m going to take care of him, even though the system won’t. So, at the end of the episode, Jill calls me the 'Robin Hood of medicine,' because I steal from the rich and give to the poor. When that phrase came out, I said to myself, okay, now I have some sense of what Hank is doing there. He’s going to help use the system out there, all the money out there, to help all the people who don’t have it."

Peaked your interest? It should. Plus, it's like getting a weekly visual vacation to the Hamptons - how could you pass up watching that?

Tune in for the series premiere of Royal Pains Thursday, June 4 at 10 p.m. on USA Network. For the entire scoop on the series and cast, head on over to the show's official site and enter to win a summer getaway to the Hamptons!

Win a Piece of Hamptons Heaven with a 'Royal Pains' Prize Pack

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Lots of us wish we could indeed spend summer in the Hamptons.

And now we can - vicariously, anyway - watching the new USA Network original series, Royal Pains.

But we here at PTR have the opportunity to give away not one ... not two ... but THREE different prize packs for Royal Pains watchers (and anyone else who wants some cool show swag) thanks to our good friends at USA Network and EA.

Yes, it's a record for us here in our little corner of the blogosphere.

So what are ya' waiting for? Enter to win!

One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a Royal Pains Summer tote filled with all the essentials for a lazy summer weekend:

- First Aid Kit
- Travel Scrabble
- “Cure Your Royal Pains” T-Shirt
- Prescription “Candy” Bottle
- Hamptons Magazine
- Oversized Beach Blanket
- Royal Pains Red Band-Aid Box with Custom Band-Aids
- The Hamptons Dictionary
- Tate’s Cookie Carton
- Kiehl’s Summer Lotions Kit
- Playing Cards
- Inflatable Inner Tub


One (1) First Place Winner will receive:

- Royal Pains First Aid Kit
- Royal Pains Playing Cards
- The Hamptons Dictionary
- Royal Pains Notepad


One Runner-Up Winner:

- Royal Pains First Aid Kit (which, I'm told, is awfully handy for those summer camping trips)


**IMPORTANT NOTE: Pictured below is the FULL Grand Prize winner's tote, with a sampling of the items on display. Not all items pictured will be included in the First Place or Runner's Up packs; only the specified items listed above.



Looks awfully good, eh? Before you enter to grab the gear, read the scoop on the series:

USA will launch the 75-minute limited commercial premiere of ROYAL PAINS, the network’s newest original scripted series, on Thursday, June 4 at 10/9c immediately following the Season 3 premiere of BURN NOTICE at its new timeslot 9/8c.

ROYAL PAINS stars Mark Feuerstein as Hank Lawson, a young E.R. doctor who, after being wrongly blamed for a patient's death, moves to the Hamptons and becomes the reluctant "doctor for hire" to the rich and famous. When the attractive administrator of the local hospital asks him to treat the town’s less fortunate, he finds himself walking the line between doing well for himself and doing good for others. The series also stars Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty.

To enter to win PTR's Royal Pains swag:

- Send an e-mail to: lilly_of_philly(at)hotmail.com with the following:

** Subject line: Royal Pains Prize Pack
** Message Body: MUST contain your FULL NAME.

- Entry rules are as follows:

** Entries must be received by July 2, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be drawn at random on or after July 3, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be notified by e-mail
** You must be a U.S. resident to enter and over the age of 18.

And if ALL that still doesn't do it for you, or you just want to enter as many giveaway contests as you can, head on over to USA Network's official Royal Pains Web site to enter for your OWN chance to win a summer getaway to the Hamptons.

Royal Pains premieres Thursday, June 4th at 10 p.m. (9 p.m. Central) on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site.