Please Excuse Me While I Go On A Rant

I don't want fans of this short run show to misconstrue what I'm about to say as being Trollish or hater like. I'm not looking to hurt feelings or bash the show, but instead I would like to discuss why it might have failed to be a longer running series and I don't think it's as simple as idiot network execs, bad time slot, weak lead in or any other all too often legit reasons for why a show is canceled. This show had serious issues working against it from the moment it was conceived so let's get started.

One very serious issue was how can a show be filmed in Chicago and still feel like it's being made on the cheap somewhere else. When you watch a show like Rescue Meor Chicago Fire do you not notice those major cities they film in playing a major role in the look and feel of the show? This series had a really cheap feel to the production and Chicago was non-existent and unfortunately that's because it was cheap. Clearly it lacked a real budget and it was very noticeable. USA Network is the minor leagues of TV and I'm guessing it was the only network that would touch this show. Clearly Dennis couldn't get FX to say OK. I'm surprised they even allowed it to film in Chicago, especially given the fact they failed to take advantage of it. Might as well have filmed it in Canada. Burn Notice was fortunate enough to be filmed in Miami and they did not squander the opportunity.

EMS is a tough job to use as the focus of a show and that's because it has obstacles to overcome. One obstacle is the fact that the job sucks. Doing a show about a job that sucks is tough to pull off, especially when the job is more than a minor plot device. Kind of tough building a comedy around a job where unfortunately many calls requires no more skill than asking two questions and those questions are what's your complaint and what hospital. Too many EMS calls are insanely stupid and/or dull. It's ripe with bull$h!t scoop and run. You can only do so many jokes or present so many dumb ambulance taxi runs before your audience is bored. It's tough to turn crap like fibromyalgia (imaginary pain), chest pain (9 out of 10 times anxiety/depression), lift jobs (old people falling because they needed a snack at 4am), frequent flyers (my tummy is upset take me to my primary care physician aka whatever doctor is working the ER right now here is my Medicaid card), nursing home runs (hello CNA, who I finally found, what can you tell me about the patient, which is always answered with ”I just started working here. This isn't my floor. I don't know this patient. This is a new resident. Let me go find the face sheet” that shows the date of admission is a couple of years ago etc etc, abnormal behavior ($h!theads who can't function in society), overdoses (they hate you for ruining their high that was about to kill them), and motor vehicle accidents (minor fender benders and everyone wants to go to the hospital because they want to file an injury claim). Honestly, it sucks so much that making humor out of it doesn't overshadow the bull$h!t. At least with cop shows they can easily make it exciting and make just enough changes to the same crime to make it seem different. Narcan is just not as cool as a shootout.

Another obstacle is two people per truck and a lot of time one in the back and the other up-front. FYI there really is no wide open access between the front and back of the vehicle and how long were they expecting to have a character be a third rider? Was the show really going to keep each ambulance with 3 people for its entire run? Could you imagine watching a cop show and each police car had a third cop sitting in the back seat leaning between the front seats. I'm aware that this is nitpicking, but your audience is going to be made up of a lot of people working in EMS so some sense of reality is necessary and this show had none. It's just easier to use other jobs as the primary basis for a show like this. Firemen work out of a single station, firetrucks can carry a crew, a lot of firemen have plenty of down time, and they work in groups instead of just pairs. In fact a lot of ambulances are staffed with two people who have different levels of certification. Imagine a show about cops and one guy in the car is an actual officer with a gun and his partner is a gunless auxilary cop who can pretty much only drive. Again I'm nitpicking because TV can make sure each character can do the cool stuff, but this show was terrible at presenting the job.

The 70's TV show Emergency! did a very good job of portraying the job of paramedics and that's because the two actors actually went through the paramedic course at that time. The times this show presented the character's doing their job was truly awful. Those in the audience who don't know better are not affected, but the EMS audience they needed to retain was going to be lost. Unfortunately most people don't even know what a paramedic is and neither did the people running this show. If they had a so-called advisor it's obvious this person was to be seen and not heard, which is very common in Hollywood. Hollywood hires advisors but they expect them to cash their check and shut the f' ck up. FYI paramedics never refer to themselves as an EMT. EMT-P (Emergency Medical Technician–Paramedic) is the certification level, but when talking about the job they don't simply refer to themselves as an EMT. In EMS the only people who use EMT when referring to themselves are those certified as an EMT-B (Emergency Medical Technician-Basic), which is the second lowest certification level in the food chain. First responder (typically cops and firemen) is the first level followed by Basic, Advanced, and then Paramedic. Paramedics are trained to do doctor level treatments and many agencies do these skills on standing orders (not required to get a doctor's permission first). This is why paramedics don't simply refer to themselves in a way that fails to properly express their certification level. You don't hear an RN refer to themselves in a way that gives the impression they might be a CNA or LPN. Doctors don't refer to themselves in a way that fails to distinguish them from a physician assistant or nurse practitioner. You know what's really messed up RNs get paid so much more, but unless they are a Nurse Practitioner they don't treat patients on their own and they are not authorized to do the procedures paramedics can and yet many people simply refer to paramedics as ambulance drivers. Cops drive cars and firemen drive trucks but have you ever heard someone refer to a cop or fireman as a driver? No you haven't, but for many people ambulance driver is how a lot people refer to paramedics. When you or a love one is having a true medical emergency do you want Uber coming or would you prefer someone who has the training that might save that person? Should a show like this have expected to succeed when it's based upon a very misunderstood career and clearly did not care to put any effort into presenting the job somewhat accurately. Scrubs was created by a doctor who always did his best to present the medical side accurately and The Big Bang Theory hired a physicist who does his best to make sure the science is not total BS written on a board.

This show seemed doomed from the beginning. Weak network, small budget (couldn't not afford to use correct Chiacgo PD patches, truly film on Chicago streets, no connection to actual Chicago EMS), only 30 minute episodes,  and very weak humor. Top sitcom writers are not working at a network like USA. I don't expect there to be another EMS sitcom anytime soon.