April 8, 2014 - Deadline - new The Night Shift with military roots (EOIN MACKEN)

NBC Press Day: Medical Drama ‘Night Shift’ Consciously Blue-Collar With Military Roots

BY THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday April 8, 2014 @ 2:48pm PDT

NBC‘s Night Shift exec producer Jeff Judah insists he loves the idea of his big ensemble medical drama running on the broadcast network in the summer. “There are not as many shows on the networks, it may not get lost as much, maybe get a chance to be seen by more people — we love it.” he told reporters at NBC Press Day.

NBC series The Night Shift, about the men and women who work graveyard at San Antonio Memorial, got an 8-episode order  as part of a four-show deal between NBC and Sony TV last May that included pickups of The Blacklist(with guaranteed Monday 10 PM slot),Welcome To The Family and The Night Shift,and a renewal of Community. The Night Shiftpilot tested very well, with Irish actor Eoin Macken in the lead, as adrenaline junkie T.C. Callahan who, after a grueling tour of duty in the Middle East, now works in the ER.  Creators Gabe Sachs and Judah executive produce with Pierre Morel.

Judah has a pal who’s an ER doctor in Atlanta who, he said, regales him with stories about his work that are “heartbreaking” and “funny,” about people who are often drunk, or  high, and about the “adrenalin junkies”  who work in the ER on the night shift. “It gives our show more of a blue-collar feel,” he said.

Night Shift is set in San Antonio, rather than a major market, which we learned during the Boston Marathon bombing a year ago may have several hospitals that can handle the highest level medical emergencies. This series hospital ER, Judah said, serves 22 counties and must often get medical care to someone via helicopter. “We wanted to bring the ‘golden hour’ to the patients — to bring the military aspect of the show,” he said.