Actors: Jordana Spiro, William Forsythe, Floriana Lima
Created by: Josh Berman, Rob Wright
Number of discs: 3
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: March 12, 2013
Run Time: 566 minutes
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“The Mob Doctor” is one of this year’s victims of TV network fast pacing. The show was canceled after its 8th episode but was allowed to air all 13 episodes. The series was based on the book: Il Dottore: The Double Life of a Mafia Doctor by Ron Felber. The Complete Series releases contains all 13 episodes in a three-disc DVD set. Even though the show was short lived it packed a very strong cast including by Jordana Spiro (TV’s “My Boys”), William Forsythe (TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”, “Dick Tracy”). It also had some strong guest stars including Michael Rapaport (“Cop Land”), Michael Madsen (“Kill Bill”) and Jennifer Beals (“Flashdance”). I have always been a huge fan of Forsythe, the guy is brilliant he deserves the attention. He fully committed to this show and rocked it, yet the network didn’t back it.
Official Premise: Dr. Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro, TV’s “My Boys”) is a promising young surgeon working in Chicago’s most pre-eminent hospital. Still, she can’t escape her Southside roots. With her kid brother facing a mobster’s wrath, Grace makes a deal and agrees to work “off book” for the infamous Chicago Outfit. As Grace’s “day job” forces her to take on emotionally compelling cases – a convict determined to donate his heart to his estranged daughter, a whole family injured in a horrific hit-and-run – she is also forced to deal with mob-related tasks, doing emergency medical procedures in back rooms, treating mobsters hiding from the law and even working on a stolen thoroughbred only hours before he’s due to race. Through it all, Grace fights to keep her dual life a secret…except from the one man who knows Grace best – Southside mob boss Constantine Alexander (William Forsythe, TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”), whose relationship with Grace is more than it seems.
The series was created by Josh Berman and Rob Wright (TV’s “Drop Dead Diva”). They really captured the essence of a mob TV show. The show was very sharply written. It has great suspense and drama weaved within. I would have liked to see this show get a little time to mature and gets its legs. I have a feeling this could have been something special. The talent was present with a great cast and get minds behind the screen. “Drop Dead Diva” was a very popular show and the creators know how to make a successful show. But as Fall shows come and go, this one was not giving a chance. At least thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, we are able to still enjoy the show at home.
