BRILLIANT MINDS: Episode 1.1

BRILLIANT MINDS is a medical drama streaming on NBC. The series follows the hijinks of brilliant psychologist Dr. Oliver Wolf, who truly cares about his patients and does everything he can to help them overcome their mental issues. His own mental disorder and the mental disorder he watched his father suffer from as a child motivate his passion for his patients. Though his methods are unorthodox and sometimes of questionable legality, he’s ultimately able to understand and help his patients better than his colleagues.

In the first episode of Season 1, Dr. Wolf abducts an Alzheimer’s patient so he can attend his granddaughter’s wedding. Though the patient’s appearance makes the night, and he remembers his granddaughter’s name after he performs a song during the wedding, the family ultimately threatens to sue the hospital for negligence, causing Dr. Wolf to lose his job.

Hearing of his unemployment, Dr. Wolf’s friend from medical school, Dr. Kinney, invites him to work at her hospital, Bronx General. Dr. Wolf is hesitant initially but eventually accepts the position and is paired with a patient who can’t feel emotion around things or people she has deep connections with. This condition appeared after she had brain surgery, which caused her to become unable to care for her children properly.

Though other doctors push her aside, Dr. Wolf devotes himself to her, vowing to help her love her boys again. Unfortunately, a child protection services agent removes the children from her home because of her condition, stymying Dr. Wolf’s progress.

While her boys no longer live in her home, Dr. Wolf asks for frequent visitations to help him better understand the condition. However, the pain of seeing her kids but not feeling any emotion pushes the patient to the brink of suicide. At the last moment, Dr. Wolf saves her from taking her life and discovers a treatment to help her reconnect with the children. His method works and he convinces the child protection services agent to allow the children to return home, reuniting his patient with her children.

Though Dr. Wolf works extremely hard to care for his patients, his personal life suffers, with a strained relationship with his mother that he’s unwilling to work on, and his mental disability interferes with his ability to make friends. Thus, while Dr. Wolf’s actions for his patients are admirable, affirming the Bible’s teachings on the inherent dignity of humanity, Dr. Wolf himself is not inspiring.

Episode 1 of BRILLIANT MINDS is an entertaining start to the new medical drama. The show sets itself apart from many medical dramas, focusing on a brilliant doctor doing incredible work rather than putting the medical aspect aside to focus on unnecessary drama and immoral actions. If the show continues the path set up by the first episode, it could be a family-friendly medical drama with staying power. However, due to slight foul language and the show’s focus, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.